


Retrogresion

by yourfaithfulsidekick



Category: Biohazard | Resident Evil (Gameverse)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Drama, F/M, Family, Mystery, Resident Evil 6, Resident Evil CODE: Veronica, Resident Evil: Revelations 2, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-11
Updated: 2016-10-16
Packaged: 2018-08-21 19:18:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 43,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8257381
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yourfaithfulsidekick/pseuds/yourfaithfulsidekick
Summary: Claire Redfield wanted nothing more but to move forward from the events that haunted her since 1998. TerraSave gave her a chance to help the world move forward form bio-terrorism and to heal others from their own nightmares. But, when claire finds herself kidnapped an on an island, she must work against her odds to escape. [Angelicxox and Yourfaithfulsidekick's take on RE:REV2].





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Co-written with Angelicxox on Fanfiction under her account. Because she does not have an A03 account, she has let me post it on her under my account! 
> 
> We actually began writing this WAY before RE:REV2 came out, back when it was just announced. We made some changes, particularly getting rid of Moria and putting Sherry in her place. We enjoyed the possibility of connecting past RE games, and having our own spin on the events that could have been. UPDATE WILL BE COMING SOON! STAY TUNED!
> 
> We would love to hear your thoughts, reactions, advice, predictions- anything! Thank you for your time! Enjoy!

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.--.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

_ 'Shit shit shit.' _

Claire Redfield was sprinting throughout her apartment, trying to finish getting ready. That major fundraiser she was hosting for TerraSave was starting at 7:30....and it was 7:00.  She already called Sherry Birkin, who was her plus one for the event, and told her to just meet her there so she wouldn't be any later than she was going to be.  She was just slipping on her heels when her cell phone rang.

"Ugh, of course." She glanced down at the caller ID and it was a foreign number. With a grunt, she answered the call. 

"Hello?"

"What the hell is this thing you're going to tonight?" A brute like voice yelled out.  She didn't even have to ask who it was. 

"Oh hey Chris, it's nice to hear from you too!" 

She heard Chris take a deep breath and sigh, "Come on, Claire. I was listening to the news and they were talking about some party at TerraSave and they mentioned you so what is it? For the record I don't like hearing about your life on the news"

“Maybe if you’d call more often you’d know little bit more.” She rolled her eyes and readjusted her phone on her shoulder so she can finish getting her bag together. "Chris, I told you this weeks ago! I'm hosting the fundraiser to spread awareness of the current bio-weapons and to stop companies from making them plus to help raise money for relief. And don't get on me for hearing stuff in the news!" 

It was supposed to be a big deal. Or, at least, that’s what Claire was consistently told from bosses and co-workers day after day. This event was a make-it or break-it kind of deal. After Tricell fell, TerraSave has been getting more and more attention. More than enough for Claire to be put in the spotlight. Claire knew she was charming, witty, and a pretty damn good talker so it wasn't really a shock that she was put in charge of organizing the fundraiser.  Working at TerraSave made her feel like she was making a difference in the way that she wanted to.  Sure, Chris had asked her to join the BSAA and help in the intelligence department but working on the front lines like that reminded her too much of Racoon City.  She rather be behind the scenes and help others get through what she had 13 years ago.  So 5 years ago when TerraSave asked her to work for them she completely jumped at it.  

“Oh, right I think I do remember you telling me something like that,” Chris responded in a much softer voice than before.  Claire was used to it, sometimes he didnt even realize when he would go from brother to father mode.  “Sorry Claire, you know I’m elbow deep in shit over here.”  

“Its fine, Chris. I’m sorry too I know you’re busy over there.” Claire actually did feel bad for her brother.  For the past couple of months Chris has been in Asia dealing with an outbreak with his team.  She knew how much he loved the BSAA but she knew that he rather be back home. 

“Yeah...well I know you love parties so you’ll do great.  I’ve always hated that sort of thing and,” there was suddenly a lot more background noise going on that Claire had to move the phone away from her ear. Chris just grunted in response, “hold on a second, Claire.  WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON OVER THERE?” Chris shouted out and she heard a faint voice over the line “Captain, we need to start heading over to the rendezvous point and…” “Alright Nivans I’ll be there in a minute!” Chris just shouted over the man, “Claire? Sorry I gotta go but I’ll call you later on this week alright?” Claire was about to respond when the line went dead. 

_ ‘Didnt even let me say goodbye -- typical Chris, always in motion’ _ . The last time Claire has seen Chris, it was nearly two months ago while he was preparing for his trip to Asia. She was glad to be third wheel to dinner with Chris and Jill. Since their private wedding, Chris and Jill have been inseparable ever since her return from Africa. From her time spent with Jill, Claire feels like she’s made quite an improvement from the fragile and timid woman who came back from the dead-- so to speak. Since then, Claire has started a weekly bar-hopping tradition with Jill for, as Chris would say, ‘tamed girl time’. Being around Jill reminds Claire how much Racoon continues to haunt every single one of them, and what TerraSave is fighting to stop.

_ ‘No pressure, though’.  _ Claire sighed as she applied one more touch-up on her makeup. Once she was done, she took one final look at herself in the mirror. Her hair was down with light curls but who knew how long it was actually gonna stay down before she just threw it up in a ponytail but she was willing to give it a try.  She had bought a really nice pant suit for the occasion but at the last minute was talked into wearing a simple fitted blue dress by Sherry.  Besides she really didn't have a chance to get super dressed up anymore -- so any opportunity to dress up she went for it. By time she was finally ready to leave it was 7:27, giving her less than three minutes to arrive promptly. 

_ Oh well, there’s nothing wrong about being fashionably late. _

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Perhaps showing up late in style wasn’t worth it. Sitting in the back of a taxicab, Claire wondered if she should have just been sober for the night. As the echoes of rush hour and the radio’s top 10 of the week blare together, Claire suddenly felt stir crazy. There was no reason for her to be stressed after all-- these were things she was used to after all. Was it a gut feeling, or just nerves for seeing over a dozen of political figures? If no one else --

_ ‘Gotta get my mind off this’ _ . Grabbing her phone, Claire quickly sent a quick message to Sherry. “Hi, SherBear! Did you end up getting there okay? I'll have you know my taxi is quite extravagant.” After a few moments, her phone beeped, reading, “Claire! I’m all good! Leon’s in town so he offered to drop me off. It’s pretty dull at the moment, are you almost here?” Every instinct of Claire told her not to ask about Leon. What did it matter? The last time they spoke over dinner that ended with a quick goodbye the next morning-- almost three weeks ago. That wasn’t too bad, Claire assured herself. It was just like any other evening he would stay the night. 

_ ‘Don’t do it, don’t you ask her’  _

Claire impulsively wrote back to Sherry, “Oh? Did he say anything?”.  _ ‘Shit’.  _ Quickly regretting her decision, she slumped back a little further in her seat.

It wasn’t like Sherry didn’t notice the seesaw-like relationship between the two. Claire would always describe the relationship between herself, Sherry, and Leon as a divorced family. Most days she would see Sherry alone, and whenever Leon was around he would check in on her. Then there were the rare occasions like holidays or her birthday when they would all be together. But unlike most divorced parents, the “mom” and “dad” didn’t hook up usually after seeing each other then usually aren’t in the same room together for a little while. 

Sherry usually keeps the relationship between Claire and Leon all their own. Though she would give her two cents whenever Claire would ask, or when Leon would ask about Claire. 

Claire thought about Leon every so often, usually when she doesn’t hear from him after returning from an assignment. This would be one of those times.

Her buzzing phone pulled her out of her daze to a message that simply said, “He said he’s happy that he isn’t gonna be around snobby business assholes.”

_ ‘And why did I expect anything different? Ugh’.  _ A sudden stomp on the brake snapped her back to reality. It was time to work her charm.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-..-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

As old and vast at the room was, it clearly was used over and over again. The floors were polished to the point where Claire nearly slipped on her heel. Tables were spread around the room, each hosting a group of politicians, eager stock buyers, and some family members of TerraSave members. The unwelcoming grey walls toned the atmosphere. The small corner of classical instrument players didn’t do much help either. The people and the room itself were just bland. The music was almost as soft as the chatter. But, the only thing in the room that kept Claire from thinking she was in an asylum were the large wall-to-wall windows. The long, white extravagant drapes covered most of the window. Allowing just a peek into the city’s lights. But this isn't wasn't the time to lose focus. She faced the elderly man sitting beside her. “Thank you so much for your donation, Mr. Clark. TerraSave appreciates your cooperation and dedication to this company and to the fight against Bioterrorism!” 

With a firm handshake and a quick goodbye, Claire waited until the older man was out of sight before she sighed deeply and grabbed the nearest drink she could find. “God, like that didn’t get old fast.”

“I don’t know,” Sherry chimed as she playfully elbowed Claire. “I think he was aging by the minute. Maybe if you winked a little more you could have squeezed your way into his will and get way more than what he wrote out.”

“Guess this dress does more than I gave it credit for.” Claire rolled her eyes, putting the check in her purse. “Believe it or not, I’m kinda rusty at this-.”

“Come on, Redfield! That’s all you got so far?” Peter, a member of TerraSave for almost a year, was young and definitely got on Claire’s nerves. His cocky attitude reminded her a little bit of Leon which she still wasn't sure if that was one of the reasons he got on her nerves or not. But being partnered together for a few months, he definitely got attached to Claire. Making the checks he collected into a self-made fan, he skipped past Claire, “You’re slackin’! Maybe you’re getting too  _ old _ !”

“Old?” Claire shot back, feeling slightly offended. “I’ll remember that the next time I get your evaluation report, Pete!” 

“Shit, I’m just kidding, Red! You know I love you!”

“Uh-huh, sure. You better not lose any of those checks! I'm watching you!” 

Sherry shifted uncomfortably. Though she’s been on her own for a little over a year, being around large crowds of people still felt uneasy to her. With Claire, a natural people person, always having the crowd’s favor-- Sherry still felt a little intimidated by it all. She sometimes wondered how Claire always managed to hold herself up to everyone she meets. Even with people like herself, Sherry always felt like she needed to worker harder than most to fit in. She admired Claire, and not just for her people skills. Claire and Leon were like second parents to her-- giving her as much support as two complete strangers could. Sherry knew that if it haven’t been for them, she would have probably been long gone. Both in Raccoon, and in captivity. 

“I’m sorry,” Claire offered a small smile as she shrugged her shoulder, “He’s the rookie. Gotta keep him on his toes, you know?”

“It’s okay, I was just thinking about how…” Sherry hesitated, wondering if she should even bother bringing her anxiety up. Instead she ran her fingers through her hair and thought of the next best thing to talk about. “Leon wouldn’t like this at all, huh?”

Claire darted her eyes around the room before looking back at Sherry. She instinctively smiled, taking a rather big gulp of the sparkling champagne. “Oh, he would rather have another assignment with late president Graham’s daughter than spend his evening mingling.” 

“I’m sure he wouldn’t mind as much if it was with us. Or with you.” Sherry eagerly looked to Claire for a reaction. Sherry would never impose her own thoughts about Leon and Claire’s relationship-- but it didn’t hurt to make them sweat a little. “You know, a clearly sheltered young gal with little to no social skills isn’t exactly ‘date’ material. At least with Leon here, the politicians would feel a little more intimated to give you a little more money.” 

Claire began aimlessly walking around the room in hopes of running into a potential donor. The topic of Leon always made her feel a little fidgety, of course she would never let anyone but herself see it. Lucky for her, the waiters began walking around with small treats. Perfect excuse. “And deal with the nagging questions about who that brooding yet dashing guy I brought? I rather have my favorite gal be at my side, hoping to God that they give us better liquor than this.”

“Maybe if we just-”

The sound of glass shattering and people screaming interrupted their conversation.  Claire instinctively grabbed onto Sherry and pushed her towards the nearest hallway. People were crowding by the exits, trying to exit the room as fast as they could.  The sounds of gunfire coming from the center of the ballroom only caused more panic and a higher urgency to get out. Claire was starting to shove herself and Sherry through the crowd when they heard people shouting from the front of the crowd, “Oh my god! The doors are locked! We cant get out!” 

Claire quickly looked around and tried to scan the room for another way out. The front of the ballroom was completely covered in glass and men in black were yelling at the crowd. She then noticed that there was a door behind the bar,  _ ‘it probably leads to the kitchens or something. There has to be an exit there’   _ She grabbed Sherry’s hand and ran towards the door and went inside.  Turns out it wasn't a kitchen, but a small office that probably belonged to the manager of the bar. She quickly locked the door and slid down to the floor with Sherry

_ ‘Oh well better than nothing’  _

Next to her, Sherry was freaking out.  “Claire! What the hell is going on? Does this happen at all your fundraisers? Is this supposed to happen?”

“Sherry! Calm down! I dont know whats going on but I need to go and see if everyone’s okay. Please stay here and hide behind the desk and wait for me to get back” Claire started to stand up but Sherry pulled her back down and stared at her with pleading eyes.

“No! Claire if you are going out we are going together! I can help you!” Claire smiled softly at Sherry but then sternly shook her head.

“Sherry, its too dangerous for you to be out there.  What if they are here looking for you? I can’t put you in that kind of danger.  So, please as a favor for me just stay here for now.” Sherry looked at her sadly and slowing nodded.  She knew Claire wouldn’t have let her leave and there was no point in fighting her. Claire gave her one quick kiss on the top of her head before jumping up.  She quickly looked around the room and stopped to face the desk at the very end of the room that had a bunch of mini-TVs on it.  Claire ran over to it and started clicking random buttons until the TVs came to life

“Sherry look! Its the security cameras! See if you can get the sound on this working after I leave.  I would try but me and technology aren't really on the best of terms.”

“I’ll do my best,” Sherry timidly said.  Claire shot her a quick smile before running towards the door.  “Lock the door behind me and dont open this door for anyone else!”

“I know, Claire! Please be safe!”

Claire slowly opened the door and whispered, “Ditto” with a wink.  Then she was gone. Once Claire heard the door click shut she crept behind the back of the bar and tried to look out and see what was going on.  She heard shouting but couldn't make out what they were saying. So she slowly worked her way down the bar so that she would be closer to where the shouting was coming from. Once she got to the end of the bar, she started hearing the voices more clearly.

“We are going to ask you all one more time.” Someone frustratedly shouted out.  “Where. Is. Claire. Redfield?” 

Claire’s eyes opened wide and gasped.   _ ‘They are looking for me?! What the fuck?! What the fuck did I do?” _

“We don’t know who that is!” A timid sounding woman called out with a bunch of people shouting in agreement. Claire peeked over and recognized her as one of her co-workers.  She was at the front of the crowd of people the unknown group had surrounded at gunpoint.  She saw various bodies and blood throughout the once dull looking room.  Her coworkers were facing this one man at the front of the room -- he was wearing a black face mask like everyone else but his mask was a little different.  His mask had a green serpent running down the right side of his cheek.  This guy must be the leader of the group.

“And even if we did know her and where she was, its not like we would tell you” A male shouted out from the middle of the crowd.  Claire didn't even have see who it was before some gunman yanked in him from the crowd -- it was Pete.  

_ ‘Goddamnit Pete!’ _

The snake maskman laughed smugly before he walked over to Pete and grabbed him by the back of his neck, threw him on the ground, and pulled out his gun. “Now, I’m running out of time and patience for this shit. You all will tell me where she is and if you don't I’m gonna start putting a bullet in every single one of you.  Starting with him,” he said has he pushed the gun towards Pete’s head.  

“You all have 5 seconds to tell me.” Everyone started shouting out not to harm him but the leader just put one hand up. 

“5!”

_ ‘...Well shit, guess I get my grand entrance to the party after all.”  _

“STOP! I’m here!” Claire shouted out before standing up and slowing walking around the bar.  The entire room got quiet as she walked out towards the center of the room towards the ringleader.  Before she could speak, she was overwhelmed by a large group of men. 

“Claire Redfield,” The man said triumphantly. Shoving Pete over to another henchman, he took a few steps closer to her. “Men! Round up everyone here, I want absolutely no witnesses.” 

Claire pull and tugged with every ounce of her strength, but these men meant business. She knew she wasn’t going anywhere. Facing the leader of the group, Claire was about to fight back before she felt something get injected into her neck. Before losing consciousness, she hoped Sherry was safe-- and that this would just be some terrible twisted dream.

Rather, it was a whole nightmare that was about to begin. 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-


	2. Chapter 2

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

It felt like Raccoon City all over again. Hiding from an unknown danger, wondering if Claire was ever going to come back for her. She knew she could have done something more. Perhaps find a gun and be backup. Sherry, after sharing her interest in possibly joining DSO, begged for some basic training. With only a year and a half of just getting down the basics, she feels pretty confident in at least being backup. Without an official badge, though, she feels pretty useless. Even more so than now.

Checking the lock one more time, she began to feel more uncomfortable being in the dark. With only the monitor screens lighting the room, she figured she might as well make herself useful. The whole wall was covered with screens from top to bottom-- progressing from the lobby all the way to the roof. She scanned her eyes quickly for the camera that covered the ballroom.  _ There!  _ Just as Sherry thought, all the people were kept in a tight knit circle with all the men with weapons crowding them in. The angle only covered the corner of the room, facing the windows. The small screen didn’t do much favor for the terrorists, or even for the hostages -- but Sherry recognized a few older members of TerraSave and Pete in the mix. Two masked men, one of which had a green-like serpent on his mask, began whispering something to one of the other men. 

_ Sound, I gotta find out how to turn the sound on! Come on, it can’t be too hard!  _ Scanning the keyboard, she desperately began attempting hitting anything to turn the sound on. Following the monitor screen number to the control panel, she successfully turned the sound on. 

_ “We are going to ask you all one more time. Where. Is. Claire. Redfield?” _

Claire? Sherry wondered why these people would be looking for her -- could it be a backlash from Chris’ work in the BSAA, could Claire have pissed off the wrong crowd? 

_ “We don’t know who that even is!” _

_ “Even if we did know her and where she is, it’s not like we’d tell you!”  _ Sherry saw that it was Pete who spoke out. She felt sorry for him, probably being no older than herself, he probably just wanted to make a difference. Or be the hero. The way Sherry saw it, being a hero gets you hurt, killed or worse.

Sherry watched anxiously as the snake maskman laughed smugly before walking over to Pete. He grabbed him by the back of his neck, threw him on the ground, and pulled out his gun. 

_ “Now, I’m running out of time and patience for this shit. You all will tell me where she is and if you don't I’m gonna start putting a bullet in every single one of you.  Starting with him,”  _ he said has he pushed the gun towards Pete’s head.  

_ “You all have 5 seconds to tell me.” _ Everyone started shouting out not to harm him but the leader just put one hand up.  _ “Five!” _

Sherry began looking around the office for anything to use as a weapon -- she couldn’t sit there any longer. Before she could even find a flashlight, she heard a familiar voice cry out,  _ “STOP! I’m here!”  _

_ ‘Claire, no! What are you doing!’  _ Sherry quickly turned back to the monitors, watching Claire get violently grabbed and dragged toward the ringleader. She couldn’t quite make out what he was saying to her, other than,  _ “Men! Round up everyone here, I want absolutely no witnesses.”  _

Just as the group began to cry out, Claire’s head hung motionlessly-- clearly no longer able to fight back. The camera suddenly shattered, breaking the connection. Sherry, startled by the sudden noise, stumbled back against the door. Before she can even begin to panic, she heard a clanking noise coming from above her. 

_ Oh my god, is something coming from the ventilation duct?  _ Quickly stumbling into the nearest closet, the room began to fill with a white-like gas. She desperately tried to cover her face, but she already began coughing. She could barely get in the closet before collapsing, with her last hope that by some chance this could have all been some nightmare.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

For Leon Kennedy, it was a very rare occurrence when he was able just to sit down and do nothing. With the job that he holds, he is never off duty. He learned that the hard way earlier this year when he attempted to take a vacation yet was called in order to head to the Eastern Slav Republic in order to investigate possible B.O.Ws. So times like this were very fleeting and he learned to enjoy every second of it. 

After Leon got home from dropping Sherry off, he had time to work out then shower. Once he got dressed in dark grey sweatpants and a white t-shirt, he walked over and checked his phone. 

Nothing.

_ ‘Hm, I’m surprised Sherry hasn't texted me yet. I guess she’s having fun with Claire.’ _

He had met up with her earlier today for lunch and to catch up while he was away for his mission. It has been a tradition that they always meet up for lunch the day after he got back - since he never knew how long he was actually going to be in town for. But his lunch dates with her are always one of the highlights of his time home. It was actually by chance that she had gotten a text from Claire telling her that she was going to be running late to that fundraiser she was hosting that night and that she’d meet her there.  Leon insisted that he would drive her to the event and pick her up. Even though she was 25, Leon still saw her as the young girl he and Claire saved from Raccoon City -- except older looking and not as sad.  

He put down his phone and walked over to his fridge and opened it -- finding nothing but beer, soda, and chinese leftovers. He scrunched his nose up as he picked up the food

_ ‘When the hell did I order this?’  _ He grimaced before throwing the food in the garbage. He instantly reached for the beer but stopped and grabbed the soda instead.  He didnt want to start that tonight -- at least this earlier.  Besides, he had to pick Sherry up later from the event with Claire.  

His heart skipped a little at the thought of Claire Redfield. Ever since they met in Raccoon City, they have already had a connection -- a spark even. Despite everything going on in their lives -- and the people -- they somehow always met up somehow.  They tried officially dating after the WilPharma incidence in Harvardville but that ended horribly. He can't even remember how the fight started or what it was even originally about.  But it erupted into huge fight about her insecurities and his commitment issues. They both said things and he walked out. They didn't talk for a really long time and he thought their relationship -- whatever it was -- was over for good. If it wasn't for Sherry in their lives, they probably would have never talked again but ended up talking again and gotten back to their old habits. Which usually started with dinner and ended with one leaving the next morning. He wasn't sure how long this was going to last before one of issues of their past came up.  Its a typical pattern with them -- they would start talking again, hooking up, fighting, stop talking.  It seemed to work for them.

Still, he cared for Claire regardless. Though, she’ll probably never know that -- or even believe it.

Leon shook himself from his thoughts.  He didnt want to think about this right now.  He wanted to just lay back and watch TV and do what a typical American did at night -- nothing. He opened his soda and sat down on his leather couch. He pushed the recliner up and reached for the remote. He was just about to click the TV on when his phone rang. 

“Of course it would ring. Why wouldn't it?”

Sadly, Leon got up and walked over to his phone and looked at the caller ID. It was Ingrid Hunnigan. He shook his head slightly before he picked up the phone.

“Well, Hunnigan, I feel like this is a new record for the amount of down time I’ve had.  What has it been like a day?”

“I’m sorry, Leon, but something has come up and you are the closest agent.”

Leon started walking to his closet and grabbed out jeans, “It’s okay I know the decision wasn’t on you.  What’s going on?”

“There has been a suspected terrorist attack at the TerraSave fundraiser tonight.  I’m not getting a lot of details but…”

Leon stopped listening and his vision went white. 

TerraSave. 

Claire. 

Sherry.

Leon sprang into action and threw down the phone on his bed and quickly put on his jeans and shoes.  He grabbed his gun from this bedroom drawer and loaded it.  He grabbed the phone from his bed and grabbed his customary leather jacket.  He placed the phone on his ear to hear Hunnigan still talking.

“...regular law enforcement has responded and some other DSO agents are on their way. The address of the place is - “

“I know where its at.  Send me whatever details you get in.”

“Got it. Oh, and Leon...Claire Redfield is one of the people unaccounted for.”

Leon ended the call and ran out of his apartment.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

_ “Sherry? Are you awake, sweetheart?” _

There were way too many voices. Strange voices. All at once, calling to her. She hated being overwhelmed. Even before Raccoon, Sherry always preferred waking up on her own. Of course, her only exception was the rare occasion when her father was coming home very late. 

There wasn’t much she remembered fondly of him. Sure, she was a daddy’s girl, but that changed when he was promoted at Umbrella. Everything changed, except for those late nights he’d tussle her hair and wake her up. He would look exhausted, completely disheveled. But he’d still smile, and ask her about her day. What she did at school, what her favorite subject was, if she remembered to feed her fish. 

And every time, Sherry would jump awake. Hugging her father, eager to answer any questions he had. She never talked about these times with Leon or Claire. In a sense, it was one piece of her past that wasn’t defined by that terrible monster that tried to kill her. It was her way of knowing that her father didn’t use to be a complete monster -- that sometimes, monsters are created.

_ “Sherry? Are you awake?” _

“Miss? Can you hear me? Sir, there’s an unconscious female here. Not certain if she’s involved in the incident. Ma’am? Can you tell me your name?”

Blurry was an understatement. If that voice would talk any louder, she’d gladly be unconscious again. She slowly opened her eyes and found a young, olive-skinned man. Dressed from head to toe in grey, he stared blankly at her. “Are you alright? Can you tell me your name?”

“Sherry,” She weakly replied, accepting his help on her feet. “Sherry Birkin. I need to get help, I-.”

“Everything is going to be okay, ma’am. There’s help here for-.”

“I’m fine,” She gruntly answered, already feeling her genetics assisting her. The headache went away, she can see clearly again. “Who do you work for?”

“Ma’am, if you’re feeling better, I need you to follow me. My supervisor will want to talk to you.” Leading her away from the office, he clicked his earpiece. “004 to Hawk, we have a witness. Bringing her in for interrogation.” 

“Those are pretty lame names for government jobs. Did you guys come up with those names all your own, or was that part of the occupation?” Sherry knew she probably shouldn’t be bitter, but as Claire would say, Leon’s influence definitely is a part of her. And that guy was totally asking for it.

“That’s none of your concern.” The agent held his hand up, Sherry stopped in her track as he perked his out into the ballroom. As if he was waiting for a signal to move.

“Are you kidding me? I’m fine! I need to --!” Attempting to get past the agent, she saw Leon heading the other way. Her heart skipped, she couldn’t believe it. He was here, looking for them. She sprinted past the agent, running straight for Leon. “Leon!”

Hugging him before he can totally turn around, she was greeted with a gripping hug. “Sherry! Thank god you’re okay!” Lifting her head up, he scanned her for any injuries. “Are you alright? Did you get hurt?” Noticing the agent that was chasing after Sherry, who was now talking amongst his co-workers. Leon glared and slowly positioned himself in front of her, as he continued, “Was that agent rough with you? What happened? Where’s Claire?”

Before Sherry could speak, Simmons approached the two. Keeping distance, he crossed his arms, and attempted a genuine voice. “Ah, Miss Birkin. So pleased to see you are in one piece.” Sherry offered a small smile, while Leon gladly gave his dirtiest stare. Though Simmons and Leon very rarely touch base, when they do it was over Sherry. 

Claire had complete access to see Sherry, no questions asked. Leon? That was a whole other story. Because Derek Simmons was Sherry’s legal guardian, he felt Leon was a negative influence on her. He didn’t know Leon personally, but the agent’s reputation was enough for Simmons to feel he was too “toxic” to be around Sherry. It was Claire who insisted on allowing Leon some visitation rights whenever he was home from his assignments. 

“Now that you’re here,” Simmons proceeded to take out a pen and paper, “I can really use your assistance to this...terrible incident. Can you tell me what you are doing here? What exactly happened?”

Finally stopping his glare, he turned to Sherry. Gently, he said, “You don’t have to talk right now if you don’t want to. Get a drink or-.”

“No!” Sherry insisted, coming off a little bit more upset than she meant. She felt flustered, running her fingers through her mangled hair, she sighed. “Thank you, Leon, I’m fine-- but, Claire-- whoever started this whole thing wanted her. If she didn’t get me out of here in time…” Sherry felt drained, useless. She took a deep breath, composing herself before continuing, “I’d probably be gone too. They took her, Leon. She told me she’d be okay but, they meant business. This wasn’t just a TerraSave thing, they wanted her.

“Did you recognize anyone? Did you hear where they were going?

“No, not really. I was able to get some of the recording before some gas knocked me out. There was this man, he had some kind of snake tattoo of some sort on his mask and his voice was deep.”

“Snake? What kind of snake?

“I’m not sure...I think it was a serpent? The camera was kind of blurry.” Sherry sighed, crossing her arms and looking away from Leon. Feeling completely crappy, she said in a small voice, “I’m sorry, Leon, I should have done something I should have backed her up. I should have fought back, I’m sorry.”

Placing a hand on her shoulder, Leon reassured her, “No! You did great. If you went out there you would have been taken plus we wouldn’t have gotten that video. You did a good job, Sherry.”

Sherry knew this wasn’t about her anymore, not when Claire was missing. “Leon, we have to find her. We have to tell Chris, we got to do something-!”

Leon unintentionally smirked, “First, we arent telling Chris anything until we have something more concrete. The guy already dislikes me and if I have to tell him his sister is missing I would at  _ least _ like to have found her so he doesn't kill me. Second, ‘we’ are not going to find Claire.  You did a good job but I’ll do this alone. I don’t want you near any of this.”

Sherry was stunned for a second but then recovered, “Leon-!”

“For the record”, Simmons chimed in, “neither of you will have to do anything. I will take the footage, have my specialist look over it, and from there I’ll dispatch a few of my own agents to look into this ‘serpent masked man’.” 

“Oh fuck that,” Leon snapped, “I will work this case with your approval or not.”

Simmons narrowed his eyes at Leon and was about to respond when Sherry spoke up

“Mr.Simmons, these terrorists were after specifically Claire. Yes, hostages were taken, but their main intent was her. Sending Leon is your best chance for keeping this under wraps -- as you want, sir. He will get her back, I know he will. And you won’t need to involve anyone else.”

Leon smiled at Sherry. He appreciated her vouching for him -- especially since he was leaning more towards punching this guy in the face rather than talk reason to him. Simmons looked as if he swallowed something sour. He hesitated a moment before answering.

“Mr. Kennedy,” he said like his name was acid, “do you believe you can find Ms. Redfield before this situation gets out of hand?” 

Leon smirked confidently, “Do I really need to remind you that I found President Graham’s daughter before anyone knew she was missing?” Leon remembered that mission like it was yesterday since it was his first assignment for the Secret Service for President Graham.  He still wasn’t sure if the reason they hired him was because they knew Ashley was missing and wanted his experience to find his daughter or if it was just a big coincidence and luck really wasn’t on his side when it came to his first day of work.

Simmons shrugged slightly like his experience wasn’t convincing him.  “I will approve you to go only if you follow my orders. Do you agree, Mr. Kennedy?”

_ ‘Who the hell does this guy think he is? I mean sure he’s the National Security Advisor but that doesn’t mean he outranks my supervisor...right? Shit, I don’t wanna get it trouble -- ah fuck.’ _

“Yeah, sure.” Leon said reluctantly.

Simmons grinned widely, “Perfect. Ms. Birkin, can you please go retrieve that footage you were talking about earlier for Mr. Kennedy?”

Sherry timidly looked at Leon and Simmons before slightly nodding her head. “Yes, sir.” With that she turned around and walked towards the office. Leon observed Sherry as she walked away. Leon knew Sherry was hurting more than she was letting on and it was probably something she didn't want to bring up around Simmons. He didn’t blame her, he just hoped that she wouldn't bottle it all inside.  He knew the hard way how that could affect a person.

“I want you to find Ms.Redfield, Mr. Kennedy.” Simmons stated which snapped Leon out of his thoughts, “I don’t care who’s alive or dead. If she’s alive, you must debrief her immediately then bring her to me. On the chance you don’t find her or if she’s dead, I want evidence but I also want you to contain the problem if you understand what I’m saying.”

_ ‘Contain the problem. Thats the nice way of saying don’t leave anyone alive.’ _

Leon shook his head and spoke firmly. “I’m going to find her alive and I’ll find out who took her and why.  There is no alternative for this.” 

“Excellent attitude, Mr. Kennedy.  I’m sure you’ll think the same for Sherry and her safety which is why I’m going to bring her back to the base and keep her in isolation.”

“No,” Leon said with force, “she isnt going back to the base. I’ll call Jill Valentine, she can watch Sherry. She’s more than capable of protecting her if it comes to it.” Jill Valentine is probably one of the strongest people Leon knew.  Despite all the shit she went through in Africa with Wesker, she still maintained a strong will and strength. If Leon would have to leave Sherry with anyone -- that wasn't himself or Claire -- it was Jill. 

“Ah, Ms. Valentine. I dont think we should put even more stress on her especially with her mental conditions.” Leon clenched his fist up automatically. 

_ ‘Jill is a goddamn hero and is more mentally stable than you will ever be you egotically jackass’ _  Leon took a deep breath in and out.  _ ‘Remain calm’ _

“After all,” Simmons continued, “do I really need to remind you that Albert Wesker never got to her throughout all of the years she was under my protection?” Simmons smugly smiled afterwards.  He probably thought he was so clever using Leon’s own words against him.

“You don’t have to remind me, I was part of her security team.” Leon was really hoping Sherry would come back soon. He couldn’t stand another minute with this guy. “And, for the record, Jill Valentine knows how to handle herself.  She’s been through hell and back and still came out on time and I wouldn't discredit her so easily.”

“Maybe we should ask her what she thinks. Ah, here she is now.”

Leon glanced to see Sherry making her way towards them with a flash drive in her hands. Once she got close enough, she held out the drive to Leon, “The sounds a little fuzzy and its not that long but its something at least.” Leon reached out and took the drive from her and smiled at her warmly. 

“Thanks for all your help, Sherry. Now, I’ll drive you back to your apartment so you can pack some stuff and I’ll drop you off with Jill. I’ll get you once I come back with Claire.” 

“What?” Sherry nearly shouted, “No way, Leon, look I get it you’re trying to protect me. But, I’m not that little girl in Raccoon, anymore! I’ve been trained, just like you, and I can clearly take any hit with no damage-!”

“No.” Leon said firmly, “Just because you can heal yourself from the G-Virus doesn’t mean you should just go out and get yourself hurt -- OR that I would be okay with you hurting yourself just because you can heal faster. I will not let anything happen to you. You are staying here.”

“But,” Sherry cried, both hurt and frustrated at Leon’s persistence. “I am not going to sit here and do absolutely nothing! I care about Claire too!” 

Like a predator waiting to strike, Simmons seized the opportunity to step in. “Perhaps there is a way for both of you to get what you want, hm? Miss Birkin, I trust your skills enough to allow you access to this investigation.”

“Really?” Sherry gleamed, eager (for once) for him to finish.

Leon, on the other hand, quickly glared at the older man. “What do you think you’re-?”

“Who better to supervise you than Mr. Kennedy? I’ve been told you have been doing exceptionally well in your training and this seems to be the perfect opportunity for you to...grow, in a sense, as a-- let’s say, potential agent for the DSO, hm?”

“WHAT?” Leon and Sherry both harmonized, one clearly more lower than the other. Leon stepped in closer to Simmons, instinctively putting Sherry behind him. Trying to keep his composure, he stated, “You think putting her out on the field is safe? Did you lose your fucking mind? That is putting an even bigger target on her back-!”

Sherry was nearly in her own world. Finally, after all these years, she has a chance-- her chance, to make a difference. She couldn’t contain her own excitement, nearly bouncing she exclaimed, “Yes, Mr. Simmons! I will do my best! I promise, I will bring Claire home and bring justice to those who took her!”

“Sherry, no!” Leon hissed, glaring daggers at Simmons. “Simmons, if you’re doing this to piss me off you succeeded. I’ll follow your orders, just don’t send Sherry.” Sherry felt like a dagger hit her chest. Leon, the man who went to hell and back for her, is refusing her as a partner to save Claire?

Simmons smirked, almost as if enjoyed seeing Leon so conflicted. “It has been decided. Now, I know Miss Birkin is in good hands. You both will leave as soon as any leads have been made. I’m speak to you two very soon. Good evening, Mr. Kennedy, Miss Birkin.” With a slight nod to the two, he proceeded back to his team.

‘ _ Yep, keep smiling, asshole.’  _ Crossing his arms with a huff, Leon grimaced, “God, I swear I will punch that guy square in the face one day.”

Expecting to her to laugh at his joke, he was greeted with an eerie silence. He looked over his shoulder at the younger woman. Her pale eyes were piercing at him, filled with sadness and doubt. Leon felt his heart tug when she asked, weakly, “Leon...I thought you’d be happy for me. I worked so hard for this. Aren’t you proud of me?”

“Sherry,” Leon said softly, “I...thought you wanted to be free of this life. Being an agent is going to drag you right back into hell and I...I don’t know if you could get out of it this time.”

There was no hesitation in her voice. Her face shifted, now with a confident and firm look that almost reminded him of Claire. She spoke, “And let some other little girl see the things I’ve seen? Have someone else lose everything and everyone you know because the world was falling around you? It’s time for me to do my part, Leon. I’m ready. I need to make things right.” 

With a proud smile, Leon sighed, “I’m not gonna be able to talk you out of this, am I?”

“Nope,” Sherry shrugged, “Afraid not! We are getting Claire back, together.” 

‘ _ Damn, she’s getting more and more stubborn’.  _ Smiling to himself, Leon shook his head. “Jesus, Claire was a bad influence on you.”

Wrapping her arm around his, Sherry rested her head on Leon’s shoulder. “You know, it’s funny you should say that. Cause’ Claire says the same thing about you to me.” With a small laugh, she stopped. Reality hitting right back at her. She gripped Leon’s arm tighter, her voice small once again, “She’s...going to be alright, right?”

Leon wanted to believe that. Hell, he had to. There was no room for doubt. Especially about Sherry, and Claire. Forcing a laugh, Leon put his arm around her. “Are you kidding? Not only is she a Redfield, but she’s got both of us coming to get her. She’s in the best hands. But, I’m afraid you are going to have to learn a few ground rules of mine.”

Lifting her head up, she raised an eyebrow and laughed, “I thought there were no rules when you’re on the field? Just to be smart, be safe, and don’t die.”

“Ha, well, there are special rules for you.”

“Leon, I really don’t think that’s necessary-.”

“Oh, it is very necessary. Trust me, they’re easy to learn and mandatory to follow.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me…”

“I know, the suspense must be killing but-- don’t worry, you’ll know soon enough.”

Feeling for the first time in her life, Sherry felt completely satisfied with relying on hope. She knew Leon’s capabilities, Claire’s experience, and now her own -- there was no room for doubt anymore. Smiling to herself, Sherry looked up to Leon. “Whatever you say, partner.” 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-


	3. Chapter 3

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

_ “So what is it gonna be this year? Life? Clue?” _

 

_ Claire was shifting through a shelf that had a bunch of different board games trying to find one that Sherry might want to play. Every year on Sherry’s birthday, Claire and Leon would come to play a game and watch a movie together.  There had been a few years when Leon wasn’t able to make it due to his job but he was able to make it this year.  Claire glanced over her shoulder to see Sherry slightly slumped on her bed, disinterested in the board game search. _

 

_ “Psh, yeah, lets play “Life”. I’ll probably suck at it since I have none.” Sherry grunted. _

 

_ Claire sympathized with Sherry since it was always around her birthday that she got depressed about never being allowed to leave the base where the government was keeping her. The room that they gave Sherry wasn’t that bad -- more like a glorified dorm room with slightly better furniture and a bigger TV. It had been a very bland room whenever Sherry moved in years ago but throughout her time there various posters and pictures made its way up on her wall. It definitely seemed much more homey but Claire couldn't even imagine spending most of her time in this room -- or at the facility even.  Claire always tried to get permission to get her off the base for the day but it was a constant struggle -- especially with Albert Wesker, that toolbag, still lurking around.  _

 

_ “Come on, Sherry,” Claire said reassuringly, “cheer up! Leon should be getting here soon and so we can’t disappoint him and not have a game picked out!” She noticed that Sherry was still sitting sadly on the corner of her bed so Claire walked over and sat down next to her. _

_ “Listen, I’ll try really hard to get you out for your birthday next year. I’ll start campaigning tomorrow for it! Simmons is a prick sometimes and I’m sure I can wear him down enough to finally give into me. Please don’t be sad.”  _

 

_ Sherry looked up and smiled slightly before nodding her head.  _

 

_ “Okay, okay. What about Mall Madness?”  _

 

_ Claire jumped up and clapped her hands, “Sweet! I love that game!” _

 

_ They had just finished setting up when Sherry’s door buzzed open and Leon waltzed in looking at his watch and holding his jacket and a gift bag.  _

 

_ “Okay, so my 3 hour time limit begins right now and-” Leon looks up and sees the game set up at Sherry’s table and gives a pained look. “Oh no not the shopping game”. Leon placed down his coat and gift and begrudgingly sat down at his spot at the table. “Oh well, you all are going down!” _

 

_ They played for an hour and a half and laughed the entire time. Claire loved these moments with the Sherry and Leon. She would feel as if her time here spent with them was like an escape from the dark world that they lived in. No zombies, no viruses, no evil company with a different agenda every week. Just her extended family. _

 

_ Sherry only made it through half the movie before passing out on Claire’s lap but who knew how long she was actually asleep before she noticed. She smiled before carefully elbowing Leon and pointing down at Sherry’s sleeping form. Leon smiled and laughed softly at the sight. Leon scooted a bit closer to Claire and whispered to her, “I’m still her favorite.” _

 

_ Claire, slightly gasped and lightly slapped Leon’s shoulder. “Oh yeah, thats why she wanted to sit next to me.” _

 

_ Leon shrugged and smirked at her, “She didn't want you to catch on so she was throwing you a bone.” _

 

_ Claire smiled back at Leon but lost it when she looked down at Sherry peacefully sleeping. “Leon, do you think she’s happy? I mean she’s basically stuck here but do you think we’re enough for her?”  _

 

_ Leon was a little taken back with the question but after a few moments he somberly responded, “I really hope she is.  Its what I tell myself. I dont think I would know what to do if she weren’t.”  _

 

_ Claire nodded in response. She understood exactly what he meant. She was starting to watch the movie again when she felt Leon nudge her. _

 

_ “You know, she loves you right? Everytime I see her she always asks about you and tells me stories about the both of you all the time. You are her role model. You will always be enough for her.” Claire smiled at Leon, gratefully that he knew exactly what she needed to hear.  She guessed that's what knowing each other for 5 years did to people.  _

 

_ “Ditto with you. I think I am getting sick of hearing, ‘Oh my god, guess what Leon told me’.” Claire joked as Leon playfully shook his head. “But seriously, Leon, she loves you a lot. She has since Raccoon City.” _

 

_ Leon nodded and looked down at Sherry. “You know, I still have nightmares about that place. It always revolves around me not being able to protect you or Sherry.”  _

 

_ “I do too,” Claire agreed, “I always think of what would have happened if we didn't get out in time or if we didn't get the cure for Sherry.” Claire didn't like to think about Raccoon City too much. She always felt like she could have done something more to help out that night but could never figure out how. _

 

_ Leon then carefully placed his arm over Claire so that Sherry wouldn't be woken up and whispered to Claire, “You are probably the closest friend I have. You can come and talk to me about this whenever you want. We both lived through it and we can both help each other, and Sherry too.” _

 

_ “As can you, Leon” Claire said reassuringly. She then laid her head on his shoulder. “Also, you owe me that dinner.” _

 

_ “Wait what?” _

 

_ “Remember last month when you were fighting with Simmons and you were convinced that you weren’t gonna be able to come tonight and I said that if I handled Simmons and got you to come you’d have to buy me dinner? And here you are and I don't see my dinner, just saying.” _

 

_ She felt Leon chuckle. “Well, I guess I do. Just pick a time and place and I’ll pick you up.” _

 

_ Claire nodded into his shoulder as they fell back into the movie. Her eyes were getting heavier and heavier until she couldn’t take it anymore and finally gave into sleep _ .

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

When Claire woke up, she definitely wasn’t in Sherry’s old room. She tried to open her eyes but her vision was still very blurry, both of her ears were ringing, and she felt as if something extremely heavy was sitting on her. In other words, she felt like shit. Once she felt better, she started to open her eyes. 

 

Once she opened her eyes, a bright was shining at her. She tried to cover her eyes from the light, but felt something hard and tight wrapped around her wrists. Using as much of her energy as she could, she pulled herself up. A wave of nausea hit her, sending her straight back to the floor. There was definitely movement; was it a plane? How long has she been out? 

 

As she tried to gain her senses back, she could hear voices nearby. Looking up, she could see two men sitting at the front of the plane. Both were dressed in black from head to toe, the voices seemed familiar. But then again, every bump or noise just gave Claire a bigger headache. 

 

A deep voice said, “I’m tellin’ ya, man, this is just bullshit.”

 

The pilot slightly turned his head, “What are you talkin’ about? A good amount is coming in our way, all we gotta do is drop off the chick and we’re free as birds. Didn’t even need to get our hands dirty.”

 

“Well, what about those other people in the back? I dunno why we need to babysit a bunch of cocky-stuck-up business folk.”

 

_ ‘The others?’  _

 

Completely lying on her side, she slowly turned her head to look behind her. Each seat sat a member of TerraSave, many of whom Claire has worked well with. 

 

_ ‘Wait...why am I on the floor and everyone else has seats? Ugh - rude. They knock me out they could at least give me a seat.’  _

 

Sitting herself up, she began to search her surroundings. 

 

“Quit bitching already, Hank, only a few more hours until the rendezvous point and then we’ll get our pay.”

 

With both her hands and ankles bound, Claire knew she couldn’t do much. Especially without making a peep. But she couldn’t just sit around-- there had to be something. 

 

“Tommy, how do we even know if this guy is paying us up front like he says? Who the fuck is this guy anyway?”

 

“My men I’ve talked to has heard of them before-- Alex, or whatever, goes to every outskirt mercenary group in Europe and Asia and pay them handsomely to work. I’ve seen it myself. My sources say he’s a doctor of some sort-- engineering some kind of “cure” for some shit I dunno. But needs some,” Hank, laughed deeply, “test rats. And apparently, needs a lotta rats.”

 

“I still get the fucking creeps, man. It's just so...unnerving. Did you see the way he fucking smiled at us when he left? Fuck the money man, I can’t wait to be done with him.”

 

“Whatever, man, this guy just better have- HEY!” Claire instantly looked over, looking her kidnapper straight in the eye. “She’s awake! Fuck, you told me it would keep her out!” 

 

_ Shit.  _ Claire was quickly grabbed by the man, and once again injected with another serum. 

 

_ Not again…. _

 

“Next time she’s awake, it’s with the boss. I’m doing dealing with this bullshit.”

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

With one hand supporting her head and the other on the keypad, Sherry could feel her eyes getting heavier. Leon, sitting beside her, kept his eyes glued on the screen. Sitting in silence for some time, Sherry held her tongue for a while now. Leon was persistent. She knew he wasn’t going to quit unless he found something new. 

 

Finally having enough, she finally spoke, “Leon, look, it’s been more than three hours now. If there was anything new we would have seen it, shouldn’t we-?”

 

Running his fingers through his hair, Leon groaned. Frustrated, he reversed the tape, “There has to be something other than that serpent there. Unless the lack of evidence alone means something.”

 

“We checked all the exterior cameras, all of the kitchen access codes and surveillances, all of the hallway blueprints and cameras-- it’s almost like they were invisible.” Sherry sighed, feeling both exhausted and defeated. “I guess that serpent's all we got.” 

 

He couldn’t accept that. It was never that easy. Leon continued to watch the video, responding, “This can’t be the first time they’ve done this. It could explain how they got in and out so easily. These aren’t some guns-for-hire, they’re professionals.” 

 

“So,” Sherry sat up, slowly putting the pieces together. “we’re looking for someone who clearly as the money and resources to be able to pull this off? I mean, TerraSave is a little too political, but could Claire have just pissed off another bad corporation?” 

 

“If they wanted to take just her, they definitely were very public about it. Besides, they almost took everyone they didn’t kill. They wanted her, specifically. But, why take everyone else? Casualties were at a minimum, but it’s easier for them to kill the hostages than to sneak out so many.” 

 

“And pretty messy. They could have just taken Claire and snuck out without a single peep. They wanted to be seen. I don’t know what’s worse, that these men are working for someone who’s really sloppy or someone who is really confident.” Letting her own words sink, she began to feel the guilt. “I should have been with her. I could have convinced her to let me go with her. Maybe they would have let her go if they knew who I-...”

 

“Sherry,” Leon cut in, his voice comforting. “don’t think like that. If you went with her, they could have used you against her.” He smiled, “Besides, I wouldn’t have a partner if you went with her which is a good thing cause I am a much better partner than her.”

 

Sherry let out a small chuckle, “Sure, Leon, as long as you aren’t driving anything.” She looked back down at their notes - or lack thereof and sighed. “Anyways, how are we even gonna find out any information about this serpent symbol? Something tells me a Google search isn’t gonna cut it.”

 

“Oh, thats the easy part.” Leon nonchalantly replied as he pulled out his phone, “I’ll just call Hunnigan. She has access to a bunch of information and if anyone could find anything its her.” He pushed a few buttons on his phone then it started to ring. Only a few moments passed before Hunnigan appeared on his screen.

 

“Hi, Leon. How are you holding up?” 

 

“I’m alright, thank you.” Leon spoke kindly as he moved his phone so both himself and Sherry were both seen by Hunnigan. “We were just wondering if you could do some research on this man with the serpent symbol. I’ll forward you the footage we have from the security cameras. Hold on.” Leon reached into an inner pocket of his jacket and pulled out a wire that he connects from his phone to the computer. Leon quickly downloaded the footage onto his phone then forwarded it to Hunnigan. “Let me know when you get it”

 

Leon could hear the quick clicks from a keyboard before he saw Hunnigan nod, “I got it. Green serpent, huh? This looks familiar but I can’t say for sure where. Let me run this through our systems and the BSAA’s as well. Give me a minute to run a search and if something pops up in the BSAA’s files, I’ll contact an intelligence agent for you. Hold on.” With that, the screen went dark so he set down the phone. 

 

Leon was really hoping that Hunnigan would come back with something,  _ anything _ , really. He just needed something to go on so he can actually get out there and start looking for Claire. Every moment that he didn’t have a definite direction made him more anxious. He knew of the saying that after the first 48 hours, if you don’t find the missing person then the chance of finding them alive decrease significantly. Leon didn’t want to think about that at all but he couldn’t help it. He felt so useless right now, he needed to get up and actually do something.

 

“BSAA?” Sherry spoke, snapping Leon out of his thoughts, “Do you think this means that the group behind it could be connected to Chris?”

 

Leon made a face and shook his head, “No, I don’t think so.”  

 

_ What luck would that be? I mean we all can’t have that kind of luck that somehow we are all connected to each other’s fate. Well I guess with the type of people we piss off, it shouldn’t be that surprising. _

 

“I mean, it wouldn’t be too shocking if the BSAA saw them before.” Sherry said slowly, as if she was trying to connect the pieces in her mind, ”That would mean they are a terrorist organization right? It would explain the group tactics. Do you think thats why Chris is in Japan?”

 

Leon curtly shook his head, “No, Claire told me that Chris is there investigating BOW sightings not some mass-kidnapping group.”

 

Sherry started doodling on the notepad in front of her as she got lost in thought. Leon could just tell she was starting to lose faith, hell he was just talking himself out of a hole a few minutes ago. Maybe he could cheer her up somehow.

 

“Hey,” He said as he threw an arm around her, “why don’t I tell you a funny story about Claire and me.”

 

Sherry gave him a quizzical look and nodded, “I guess we have time to kill while we wait on Hunnigan.”

 

“So,” Leon began, “Claire and I were trying to get you out of the base for one of your birthdays So, we both went to talk to Simmons to try and convince him to release you into our custody for the day.” He chuckled, letting himself get lost in the memory, “Well, lets just say it did not go well. He was being a super douche, as per usual, and was just not entertaining the idea at all. So I was getting mad and we started arguing and he even threatened to take away my visitation rights.”

 

“No way!” Sherry exclaimed. She knew Simmons didn’t like Leon at times, but enough to the point where he wouldn’t be allowed to see her?

 

“I know, right? Asshole. Anyway, out of nowhere, Claire just swoops in and ends up convincing Simmons to let you out into her custody. I was just so amazed how she was able to get to him. So I guess want I’m trying to show is that Claire could talk herself out of any situation so this one is no different.”

 

_ ‘That’s Claire, alright! Always able to talk her way out of anything!’  _

 

Laughing, Sherry smiled. “She’s good you gotta give her that! She told me that one time she convinced you that you missed some special event and because of that, you had to take her to dinner-- where she ordered the most expensive stuff on the menu!” 

 

“Oh yeah, she got the lobster and the most expensive bottle of wine. She thought she got me, but like always I was always a step ahead. I got her to pay for that taxi ride home.”

 

“Or,” Sherry smirked, nudging his shoulder. “maybe you just waited for the right moment to take her to dinner, hm?”

 

“It works better if she thinks it’s her idea.”

 

“Leon, Sherry-- you two still there?” Hunnigan’s voice snapped them back into reality. Her face was back on the screen, continuing, “I contacted the BSAA Intel Support, I’m going to patch them through--.”

 

_ ‘Them?’ _

 

Leon quickly protested, “Who exactly are we talking to?”

 

“Trust me,” Hunnigan smirks confidently, “Trust me, you’ll be talking to the best. Ms. Valentine, are you in?”

 

“Loud and clear.” Appearing in a second screen next to Hunnigan was Jill Valentine. She gave them a small smile and nod once she appeared on the skin. Her short brown hair was loose but out of her face. If you looked close enough, you would be able to see blonde slowing seeping in from her roots. Ever since her experience with Wesker, she couldn’t get her hair to stay brown but she was always on top of it. She didn’t like having a constant reminder of her time with him. But other than her hair becoming difficult and a slightly paler complexion, she was the same Jill Valentine as always. After returning, Jill wanted to go back out into the field with Chris again, but it was strongly recommended for her to step down and join Intel Support, which definitely put Chris’ mind at ease. 

 

“Jill!” Sherry smiled, offering a small wave to the camera.

 

“Well,” Hunnigan’s brow furrowed, biting her lip she spoke softly. “Well not just Jill-.”

 

“Jill!” Leon exclaimed over Hunnigan, “Oh thank God it’s you. I was almost concerned that it was going to be Chris. But Chris  _ definitely  _ wouldn’t be in the Intel Department.”

 

Suddenly, another camera popped up. On the screen was a young male, probably around Sherry’s age. Sherry was taken back at first, expecting to see Chris. He was definitely good looking-- his short brown hair, his light hazel eyes were sharp and focused.  

 

Looking up at the screen, he looked over next to him, “All good to go, captain. The connection is a little fuzzy but if you click this button you-.” 

 

“I KNOW HOW THIS WORKS PIERS!” A chill went down Leon’s spine, he knew that brute voice from anywhere. And seeing the man take a seat in front of the camera just proved Leon’s fear. “What was that, Kennedy? Not cut out for the Intel Department?” 

 

_ Oh, fuck me.  _

 

Chris was decked out in his BSAA gear, so this meeting thing probably caught him just as off-guard as it did Leon. Leon knew Chris was pissed and he could tell just by looking at him. He was stiff and Leon swore Chris’ glare would definitely kill him if it could. Leon just wasn’t sure if the anger was focus on the situation or him. It was probably a mixture of both. 

 

“I’m sorry,” Jill offered a half smile, feeling the tension starting to build. “I patched Chris in. He was the captain of the latest squad to have any up close exposure to this. And I figured he should be here, so let’s get down to it. This isn’t the first time the serpent guy had gotten on our radar. There have been several sightings of him in various countries over the past 18 months. Eastern Europe, Asia, and Africa are just some of the places he has been seen. But wherever he has been spotted, the nearby villages or towns’ inhabitants have always vanished. We’ve had some teams look into it but they have always come out empty handed.”

 

The young male from earlier, Piers, stepped behind Chris to be in the camera. He had a file in his hand, and though his voice shaky, he was definitely one of Chris’ guys. 

 

"Lieutenant Nivans here. His teams are mostly recon-- getting in, getting out. Very quick, we mostly get him through pictures of eye witnesses, the little we get. As far as we go, we haven’t been able to get a hand on him or anyone working within his team. He may be quick on his feet, but his trail is messy. More specifically, we noticed, around Germany’s borders. We just got a few anonymous tips that they’re planning on hitting a small pharmaceutical group, for what we have no idea. But, that may be the lead you two are looking for. As for the one pulling the strings on these guys? Try looking into the bigger figures, what they all have in common. Especially groups like TriCell was, they had to get their hands dirty at some point. That’s the link you need to find.”

 

Jotting down what Piers was saying, she occasionally looked up at the screen but the last time she perked her head up she took really good look of him. He was kinda cute.

 

_ ‘Snap out of this Sherry! This is not the time for this!’ _

 

“This is Piers Nivans,” Chris introduced, “He’s my - what is it now, fifth ranking? He was part of Alpha Team when we were investigating.” 

 

“Fifth?!” Piers hissed, clearly offended. “Are you serious? I’m-!”

 

“TriCell?” Sherry cut in, hoping to keep the information going. “I heard about them. They were the company in South Africa. But, what about WilPharma? What was his name-- Frederic? Frederic Downing? Could he be involved?” 

 

“Probably not,” Leon stated, “He was a puppet for someone else. He didn’t even know the true identity of the person he was working for. Besides he’s in prison still I doubt he would be doing anything.” 

 

Jill continued, “I would say the best course of action is to go to Germany and investigate that town. Chris’ team had to be pulled out to handle the situation in Asia so there could still be evidence there.” 

 

“Maybe I should go out there and investigate myself. I know I could get this done.” Chris spoke arrogantly, but Jill knew that wasn't what he meant. She knew the look in his eyes, he didn’t want to go just to prove something. He wanted to be the one to be sure his sister was safe. She couldn’t blame him, but she also knew he wouldn't back down so easily. 

 

Chris scoffed, “Besides, I don’t know how good of a job Kennedy would do. I mean theres no president out there to protect."

 

Leon cringed, using all of his willpower to bite his tongue. He wasn’t some bodyguard, that was for sure. He’s gone above what his job description calls for - not like he’d brag or anything. 

 

“I’m just as good as you, Chris. In fact, I’m better since I'll probably need to be stealthy for this mission and you have the stealth ability of blind elephant.”

 

Sherry had enough of it. “Leon! Chris!” Leon turned to her, as Chris continued to stare down at the screen. Sherry tensed up, her voice shaky, “Bickering about it isn’t going to change anything. This isn’t going to help find Claire and bring her back. Jill, send us the coordinates. Chris, Mr. Nivans, any reports that you have of the Serpent group would be really helpful. Once we’re there we’ll try to see what trail they left behind.”

 

Piers looked directly at her, clearly trying to fight a wide grin he smirked. His voice was soft, “It’s just Piers, thank you. But sure, yes, ma’am. I’ll patch it through to Jill-- I mean, Ms. Valentine.”

 

Leon glanced back and forth between Sherry and Piers. He was smiling way too much, and Sherry’s cheeks was turning a light shade of pink. Sherry really hasn't dated much since getting out on her own, or at least to his knowledge. Not really wanting to deal with the prospect of that right now, he slightly glared at the young man,“Okay, thanks.”

 

Chris didn’t budge. “I really don’t feel comfortable letting him handle this.”

 

Leon’s voice deepened, knowing how much his words would hurt. “Don’t you recall that I was the one who told you where to find Claire last time along with the fact you didnt even know she was missing? Do you remember who she contacted to help her? Oh, that's right, me.  And with Jill--.”

 

Chris stood up so fast that his chair fell to the floor behind him. “Do you really wanna go there, Kennedy? I’ll come over there right now and-.”

 

“Guys! Please!” Jill spoke sternly but in a flash her expression softened, “Chris, I think Leon and Sherry will do a good job and they will find Claire. And if they are having trouble they could always call us for assistance.” Jill turned her attention towards Leon and Sherry “Isn’t that right?”

 

Piers clearly felt out of place now. He nervously took his eyes off the screen and looked over at Chris. He knew the risk of speaking out of terms, but he felt a sense of urgency. Nervously, he spoke, “And if necessary, I’m sure Chris can send a small team to back them up.”

 

“We appreciate your support, but Chief Simmons specifically requested the BSAA’s assistance only for Intel Support.” Hunnigan knew how clear Simmons was about that. He didn’t have anything personal against the BSAA, not that she knew, but the BSAA and DSO never really did get along too well. 

 

“Thats fine”, Leon glared right at Chris as he shrugged his shoulders, “I don’t need a team to get a job done.”

 

“Chris, I promise you,” Sherry reassured him, “we are doing everything we can to get Claire back. Please trust us, Leon and I wouldn’t let anything happen to her.”

 

Chris muttered to himself, contemplating the situation. He knew Kennedy wasn’t all bad and most importantly that if anyone could get Claire back, other than himself, its Kennedy. 

 

“Okay, Sherry. Just watch out for women in red, Kennedy is like a stray puppy when it comes to them. Chris and Piers out.”

 

Chris leaned forward to press the button to end the session. As he pushes the button, Piers jumped onto the screen, “Wait! Sherry, right? What’s your-?” He was cut off by the video disconnecting.

 

Sherry immediately turned red and looked away from the camera. With a deep breath, she turned back to the screen and smiled, “Okay, so Germany it is?”

 

“You guys will do great.” Jill smiled, though there was a hint of sadness. “Leon, don’t let Chris get to you. He is just worried and I know he knows how much Claire means to you. Let me know if you guys need anything. Jill out.” She gave a small wave before disconnecting. 

 

Sherry smirked, poking Leon’s arm as she said in a sing-song voice, “Oh! How much Claire means to you!”

 

_ ‘Women.’  _

 

Shaking his head, he fought the urge to smile and looked back at Hunnigan. “So, Hunnigan, when’s the next flight to Germany?”

 

“For you two? Unfortunately, I can’t send you two anywhere without permission from Chief Simmons. He has to review the evidence, meet with the rest of the security advisors, get clear access into Germany…”

 

_ ‘And a bunch of political bullshit that kills even more time for us.’  _

 

“So, it would be out of your hands if I just so happened to buy a ticket for Sherry and myself on my own account and didn’t want for your approval?” 

 

Putting the pieces together, she began to smile. “It would be frowned upon, for sure. But, it wouldn’t be the first time I had to clean up your mess, huh? Do what you two have to do, it is urgent after all. I’ll take care of Simmons.”

 

“You’re a doll, Hunnigan. Remind me to give you a raise after this.”

 

Hunnigan rolled her eyes. She was used to Leon’s ways by know, at the point where she’s completely immune to it. “Just get going. Keep me in the loop. Hunnigan out.” And with that, she was disconnected. 

 

Almost awestruck, Sherry looked up at Leon. “You...really do get away with everything, don’t you?”

 

“Oh, not everything. But it certainly does make my life easier. Let’s go.” 

  
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-


	4. Chapter 4

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Claire woke up on a cold and wet floor.  She hissed as she slowly sat up, leaning on the wall for support. She opened her eyes but could barely see anything.  All she could do was feel. Feel how much her head was pounding. Feel how cold she was. And feel how pissed she was. 

 

Pissed for the fact that she was in this situation.

 

Pissed for the fact that Sherry was present for it all and for putting her in danger.

 

Pissed that she decided to wear a dress and not the pant suit she wanted.

 

She would be lying if she never thought this kind of situation would arise if it would either be what she was doing now with TerraSave or her past with Umbrella. But the thought of it actually happening was always slim to none, like couldn’t they just write her a strongly worded letter?

 

Once her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she took notice of her surroundings.  She was in a damp cell with a rather large uncomfortable looking shelf that was probably supposed to be a bed. But other than that and the water dripping from the ceiling, there was nothing else worth noting.  She started to get up to get a better look of the outside of her cell when she noticed a green band on her left wrist.

 

“What the fuck is this?!” Claire exclaimed as she started to look at the mysteriously brand on her wrist.  It was a thick metal band with a green light coming from it on one side. There were no noticeable markings or designs on it to help her determine what the hell this was. 

 

“Oh this is just great! I’m locked in a cell with this thing on me and heels.” She groaned as she got up and approached the cell door.  From what she could see, there was absolutely no one else in the hallway and the cells on the other side were in worse shape than hers. Well, at least they were somewhat considerate to give her the better cell. 

 

“Alright, I need to get out of here.”

 

She started pulling on the bars to see how sturdy they were. If the rest of the place looked like it was falling apart, hopefully the bars are in the same condition.  Unfortunately, they weren’t budging. At all. 

 

“Ugh, are you shitting me? How is that possible?!” 

 

Claire was about to move on to another idea that she had -- which involved a heel and digging out when she heard a very low mechanical hum. She took another look around her cell when she finally spotted where the sound was coming from -- a security camera.  She took a step closer when she heard the humming again as the camera adjusted itself to focus on her.  

 

Claire was getting even closer to try and see if anything was on the camera when a sudden metal clang rang through her cell as her cell door slid open, almost welcoming her to continue on.  Despite having an uneasy feeling about this, Claire took a slow step forward, she looked both ways before taking one step out of her cell. 

 

“Well, that’s convenient.” 

 

Eerie was an understatement. Stepping out of her cell, she looked down the narrow hallway only to find a few dim lights. A sense of nostalgia hit her, as the similarities of her surroundings caught up with her. Here she was again as an unarmed prisoner left with nothing else to do but venture forward into this nightmare. Carefully treading forward, a never ending cascade of questioned hit Claire. 

 

Was this some sick joke from another corporation against TerraSave? Was this more personal? No, no one could be demented enough to think this was a joke.  This looked way too calculating to be a joke.

 

Is Sherry still safe? God, she really hoped so.  For her own sanity, she had to tell herself that she was. 

 

Where is everyone else? She was sure she saw a lot of people on that plane.

 

Frustrated with her own questions, she raked a hand through her hand and just kept going down the hall. Regardless of why she was here, she knew she had now had no choice. She was stuck here, and she sure as hell was not going let her doubts get the best of her.

 

Only the sound of a few drops of water and the mechanical sounds coming from the cameras broke the uneasy silence. Carefully opening the door at the end of the hallway, she found an even longer hallway-- one with cells all side-by-side similar to the hall she woke up in. The smell of rotting blood and decay filled the room. Looking at the one of the first cells, Claire found the body of a completely mutated looking person. She hunched down to take a closer look when she saw a TerraSave ID badge on him which cause her to suddenly gasp. The completely mutilated body lying in the cell was one of the TerraSave workers, Roger.  If it wasn’t for the ID badge on him, he was barely recognizable. She closed her eyes, and whispered, “I’m so sorry.” She knew this was just the beginning, a reminder of the worse to come ahead. 

 

After collecting herself, she stood up and took a few steps forward. Even though she was taking every precaution before, after seeing Roger, Claire had her guard up even more. Walking past each cell, she would slowly turn to look in each one -- hoping to find anything to help get her out of here.  Or even perhaps someone alive.  

 

Suddenly, she heard some movement further down the hall. Instinctively grabbing at her side, she groaned when she grabbed nothing but the fabric of her dress.

 

_ Right, no gun. Fuck. Now what?  _

 

Claire crotched down to try and hide herself as she tried to figure out the best way to approach the situation.  She couldn’t run in guns blazing, not like she would but she didn't even have the choice. And she couldn't just call out to see if anyone is there.  Everyone knows better than to call out into an unknown area like this.

 

“Hello? Please, someone, help!” A desperate voice shouted out.

 

Well, maybe not everyone. But she recognized that voice. 

 

_ Wait, Pete?  _ This had to be too good to be true. Trying not to think of the reason why he was placed this close to her, she slowly moved forward towards his voice. She found him sitting on his knees at the edge of his cell. Pete looked completely disheveled from head to toe and he kept his head down. 

 

“Pete?” She hesitantly called out. 

 

“Claire!” Jumping to his feet, he grabbed his cell bars. “Oh God, you’re alright! What the actual fuck-!”

 

“Pete,” Claire whispered, “I’m gonna try and get you out. You just gotta-!”

 

A loud click echoed the room seconds before Pete’s cell door started slowly opening. Pete instinctively jumped back, looking at the door then back at her. 

 

“What the-? Did you do that? Claire, where are the others? Fuck, fuck, fuck!”

 

She drowned out Pete’s questions with ones of her own. Why would his cell door just open? Was this all just a set up? She stood there for a second trying to piece everything together but all she kept hearing was Pete’s constant questions and “fucks”. Claire tried her hardest not to get frustrated since he was only Sherry’s age after all. He had never experienced anything like this before so of course he would be panicking. Any normal person would be freaking out right about now.  Claire took a deep breath before walking up to him and carefully putting her hand on his shoulder,

 

“Pete, listen to me. We are gonna get out of here. But you need to calm down. Panicking isn’t going to help, trust me. I know how scared you are, I am too. But you’ve got to trust me. I’ve been through something like this before. Together we can find a way out, but I need you to be here 100%, okay?” 

 

Pete looked up at her helplessly as she gave him a reassuring smile. He knew what he was doing was irrational, but he couldn’t shake his hopelessness.  But here was Claire, a woman who had been through hell and back before. So if she could do it, maybe he could too.

 

Smirking slightly, he took a deep breath and nodded. “R-Right. I’m sorry. This is like a walk in the park for you then, right? Well you can lead the way. Hopefully we can find the others soon. If you found me there has to be more people around.”

 

“Pete, I found Roger. He’s...gone.” Claire casted her eyes towards the ground, not being able to say it to his face. Just another person Claire couldn’t save. 

 

“Shit, shit, shit,” Pete cursed as he started pacing back and forth again, “What now? Why us? Why this?”

 

Claire slightly shrugged and moved her eyes back to the hallway.  Another camera caught her eye and she looked at it squarely as she heard it adjust its lens.

 

“We’re being watched.” Claire stated as a matter of factly,  “See that camera over there? There was one by my cell door as well.  Someone opened my door then opened yours - someone wanted me to find you.”

 

“What? Why? Why bother making it easier for us?”

 

Claire couldn’t help but feel frustrated as she pinched the top of her nose. “I don’t know, but there is nothing to do but go forward.” Claire turned her attention to Pete’s cell as she started looking around it.

 

“Did you find anything useful in your cell?” 

 

“Uh, there was a loose metal bar that I ripped off from the other cell wall but I don’t think-.” Claire was already grabbing the bar before Pete could finish. He looked at her in disbelief, 

 

“Uh, maybe I should carry that around.” Pete said kindly as he reached for the bar, “You know, I can probably hit things harder-.”

 

_ You’ve  _ **_got_ ** _ to be kidding me.  _

 

Claire rolled her eyes, “Oh please, I’ve seen you swing a bat at the company’s spring picnic. Besides, you said it yourself -- just a walk in the park for me, right?” 

 

“Touche.” Pete shrugged. “You’re the boss. Now what?”

 

“Stay behind me, and remember look before you leap.”

 

“Look before you leap? I didn’t know this was leapfrog.”

 

“Don’t be an idiot, just do it.” 

 

Re-entering the hallway, Claire and Pete walked down the rest before passing through a doorway with its door still half attached.  After making their way past the doorway, they continued into the next room. In this room, the cells were more spread apart than how they were in the other hallways. The space was big, big enough to fit more people. Only the sound of their footsteps echoed throughout the room. Despite the silence and her leading the way, she could feel how tense Pete was. She knew he wasn’t gonna be much help if he wasn’t going to have his head in it. She’s gotta get him calm down somehow.

 

“So, Pete. Since we are gonna be working together, is there anything you want to ask me?” 

 

“Actually I’ve been meaning to ask you if you have experienced anything like - well, you know, this before..”

 

“Yeah. It was after Racoon City and I was trying to find my bone head brother who didn’t know how to use a phone. Anyway, long story short while trying to find him I was caught and taken to an island kind of like this. I met this guy there, Steve. Actually, he reminds me a lot like you. Cocky, young, confident, thought he was a lot tougher than he was. But…” 

 

From time to time she thought about Steve Burnside. Most of her thoughts consisted of “what ifs”, many of those indulged scenarios that he lived through the ordeal on Rockfort. She’d sometimes think what would have happened between them if they had both made it off the island.  Would they have remained friends? Could it have been more? There was no doubt that during the short time they knew each other that they had formed an unique bond. He may have been hotheaded at times, but he was still reliable and supportable. But this was not the time to start thinking about this again. She had to remain focused. 

 

Claire shook from her own thoughts, “He was a good guy. He and I got separated when I ran into my own trouble but then my brother, Chris, found me. By the time Chris and I found where Steve was, it was too late.  He had been injected with a virus and had mutated.”

 

Pete was taken aback by her story.  He had of course heard rumors but hearing the story directly from Claire made it all seem less glamorous than how it was otherwise depicted. 

 

“Jesus, I’m sorry, Red. That’s...rough.” An even more uncomfortable silence filled the air has they kept on walking.  He really didn’t like the eeriness of the silence so he figured he could keep talking to fill it. 

 

“I don’t remember much of Racoon, I only heard about it. I had a cousin there, I think he was a teacher but he didn’t make it out. My younger brother wants to join BSAA, actually. Not exactly my forte but he and I both want to help stop this. We just picked different battlefields.”

 

“Heh, I’ll run his name by Chris for you. What’s his name?”

 

“Finn. Finn Macauley. And thanks, but I rather get out of here and tell him myself.” 

 

Tightening her grip on the iron bar, she carefully led Pete further into the larger room.  The cells in this room were mostly empty, minus the occasional debris. One thing they did find in one of the cells was a flashlight.  Claire held her breath as she slowly clicked the flashlight on, releasing it with relief when the flashlight flickered to life.  With a smile, she handed it over to Pete who took it without missing a beat.  

 

Pete used the light to look around the rest of the room when a bolted door came into view at the right end of the room.

 

“Hey, check it out.” 

 

Claire and Pete made their way to the bolted door.  The metal door was bolted shut by three metal bars horizontally across the doorway.  There was also a small control panel that had three slots with three yellow lights above the slot. 

 

“I think if we find the keys, we can probably move forward.”

 

“Ugh” Pete groaned, “Why can’t this door unlock for us? Where could these keys be? I don’t think I saw any as we were walking.”

 

“I don’t know, Pete. We must have overlooked them, come on let’s go ---”

 

As Claire was about to head back down the way they came, a metal gate adjacent to the bolted door slid open. Once the gate was open, Pete turned the flashlight towards the room to try and get a better look.  The new room had more cells in it, however, this room had two levels with a pathway and stairs directly in the middle of the room.  They were just about to move forward when a loud gurgling noise echoed into the room. 

 

Claire instinctively stepped in front of Pete as he whispered, “What the fuck was that?”

 

Claire didn’t even have time to start thinking of an answer to him when a figure limped into the light.  He looked human -- but at the same time didn’t look human.  He had been human at some point, but now he was completely mutated.  His skin raw with blisters and bumps with a little hair coming off the top of his head.  The creature grumbled as he stumbled further into the light -- louding sniffing in the direction of Claire and Pete.

 

“What the --” Pete started before Claire threw her hand over his mouth and shushed him and turned off his flashlight. Claire had no idea what the hell this creature was, but she knew that it had to be done quietly, and without light.  By the sounds of it, he probably had a good sense of smell so they shouldn’t test to see how good his other senses are. She crept with Pete along the edge of one of the cells behind her and grabbed a few rocks from the debris.  Claire carefully aimed before tossing the rock on the opposite side to where they were where the rock landed with a thud.  The creature quickly turned towards the sound and ran towards where the rock fell. Claire knew she only had a few moments so once his back was turned she raced forward and slammed the metal pipe into the back of the creature’s head. The creature was knocked down and started to try and get back up when Claire impaled her pipe in it’s head. 

 

Pete flicked back on the light as she removed the pipe from the creature’s head.  Pete slowly walked towards Claire.

 

“What the hell was that? Oh God, was that a zombie?!”

 

Claire looked down at the creature and slowly turned it around, observing it. 

 

“It definitely doesn’t look like any of the zombies that I’ve seen. If I had to guess, I would just say they aren’t zombies. But what they  _ are _ I have no idea.”

 

Pete started to head closer to Claire as she checked the pockets of the dead creature.  She pulled out a small handgun in the waistband of his jeans as well as a key with the number 1 on it.  She unloaded the clip to see how many bullets were left -- six.  Well, not a lot but its certainly a start.  She tucked the pipe under her arm and picked up the gun with one and the key with the other then stood up. 

 

“Can you hold this?” Claire asked as she held out the key, “I would but my dress unfortunately doesn’t have pockets.”

 

Pete nodded as he took the key and placed it into his jacket pocket.  He was about to move away when Claire’s hand shot up again. 

 

“Wait. Which one do you want?” Claire held up the metal pipe in one hand and the small handgun in the other.  She could tell by the look on his face he didn’t want either so she was probably gonna have to make this choice for him.  

 

“Well, have you ever shot a gun before?” 

 

Once Pete shook his head, Claire held out the metal pipe to him.  “Here, take this. You need to have something to defend yourself if something ever happens.” Pete sighed as he begrudgingly took the pipe. 

 

Feeling a little better now, Claire stepped over the creature and headed  towards where he came from, gun drawn. They both walked around the area of the room -- checking it to see if anymore creatures lurked around.  Once it was clear, they started to look for the other keys.  They were only on the second cell on the second floor when Pete let out a huge yawn. 

 

Claire looked over at Pete and noticed how tired he looked.  She had been knocked out most of the time but she didn’t think about if he had been as well, but by the looks of it he probably was awake a lot longer than she had been.  

 

“Hey, Pete.  Why don’t we rest for a while?” She asked while pointing to the bed in the cell.  Pete followed her hand then turned red as he looked at the ground.    
  


“Uh...I don’t think. Um, I mean is this really the time?”

 

“I mean its as good of time as any.”

 

“Claire....I mean you’re really pretty but --” 

 

Claire’s eyes widened as she threw her hands up and shook them, “NO! No, no no, that’s not what I meant. You can go to sleep here,  _ by yourself _ , and I can take watch at the front of the cell.”

 

Pete turned an even darker red as he nodded and laid himself on the bed.  He looked up at her and gave her a small smile, “Are you sure you don’t want to rest first?” 

 

Claire lightly shook her head, “No, I’m okay for now. Thanks though, I’ll wake you up if I need you.” With that, Pete nodded his head and closed his eyes.  If she had to take a guess, he probably fell asleep in less than a minute. 

 

With the metal rod on one side of Claire and the handgun on the other, she looked around her surroundings.  The building they were in had to be years, and she meant  _ years _ old but something still seemed a bit off about it.  For a building this old and decrepit, it had some really new features like the hundreds of cameras she had seen and that bolt and key system on the bolted door. The cameras really bothered her.  It made her feel as if she was a rat in one of those mazes. Usually at the end of the maze, the rat was rewarded with a piece of cheese.  

 

In this case, she didn’t know what would be at the other end of the maze. But she did know it definitely wouldn’t be good.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

A figure sat at a wall of computer screens, writing notes while watching the footage even rewinding to try and get more data. 

 

Yes, this idea was perfect. And she definitely was the perfect candidate for this. Sure, Chris Redfield or Leon Kennedy would have been great subjects to study.

 

But her.

 

She was different.  She wasn’t a soldier, she didn’t do this day in and day out. She did what she had to do to survive. That’s why she was picked.

 

She had been somewhat predictable thus far. Taking care of the boy with no experience, finding useful things to help her, taking the lead. 

 

More variables needed to be introduced.

 

A beeping sound from one of the computers echoed the room. The figure got up and went to investigate what caused the noise. It was a silent alarm from one of their bases in Germany. With a few clicks, security footage popped up showing a blonde haired man and woman walking through the desolate base.

 

Ah, yes. Variables indeed.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-


	5. Chapter 5

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Leon and Sherry were walking through the middle of the Black Forest in southern Germany.  Leon was leading the way with his GPS while Sherry was behind him making careful note of their surroundings, marking a tree every once in a while just in case they needed to get away in a pinch.  As she was marking one of the trees, she took a look around. For a moment,  Sherry just lost herself in the gorgeousness of the forest until she remembered why she was here in the first place. She finished marking the tree and jogged a little to catch up with Leon.

 

“Do you think Claire will be here?” Sherry asked optimistically. She knew there was a really small chance she was actually here, but she needed a happy thought to grasp onto. 

 

She could see a slight shrug from Leon before he answered. 

 

“I’m not sure. I mean, this is the best lead we got. I’m sure it will give it something else to go on.” 

 

“Are you just saying that or do you actually believe it?” Sherry walked a little faster in order to be walking in line with Leon. He turned to her with a small smile on his face.

 

“Probably a little of both.” Leon reached out and lightly squeezed her wrist, “But in all seriousness, I’m confident we’ll find something. It may not be much but it will at least point us in the right direction.”

 

Sherry nodded and they continued in silence for a few more miles until they could see smoke from the distance. “Is that the camp? Come on, let’s go!” Sherry started to jog ahead when she was grabbed abruptly by Leon and pulled back. 

 

“Oh no you don’t. First we got to make some ground rules here.”

 

“Really? Right now?” Sherry sighed as she gestured in the direction of the camp. “We couldn’t have talked about this the hours on the plane or walking through the forest? Besides I know what to do.”

 

“We are discussing this now because I just finished thinking of the rules.” Leon ignored Sherry’s eye roll and continued on with a stern voice. “And you don’t seem to know what you’re doing since you were about to casually walk into an area full with possible enemies. If we are gonna be a team, you are gonna do this my way with my rules. Got it?”

 

Sherry put her hands up, “Okay, okay! I get it. What are they?”

 

Leon calmed down a little and held up one finger. “Rule number one is pretty simple but its the most important. Do what I say, when I say it.  If I say get behind cover, you do. If I say run, you run. So on and so forth.”

 

“But if you need backup, I’m not gonna just leave you there!”

 

“Yes” Leon said harshly, “you are.”

 

“Oh, so if you say jump I say how high?” Sherry snapped back.

 

“Happy to see you’re a quick learner.” Leon held up two fingers, “The second rule is don’t be trigger happy. Using your gun should be a last resort and if you have to use it, make your shot count.  This isn’t some Call of Duty shit where you can respawn or you can kick a barrel and find ammo.”

 

“Aw man, thank goodness you told me that. I would have thought I had nine lives going in.” Taking in Leon’s serious reaction, Sherry just nodded, “Yeah, I got it. Don’t get cocky. Anything else?”

 

“The last one is look before you leap. This just means don’t jump into a situation without assessing it first. Look around a corner or just look around in general. It’s pretty straight forward.” Leon took a few steps forward and pulled out binoculars from his backpack. “We need to get closer for me to even start thinking of how we are getting in.”

 

Sherry watched Leon looking around the camp but couldn’t stop thinking about his “rules”. Sure, she wasn’t a seasoned agent but she still knew how to handle a situation.  She was an adult and wanted to be treated like one.

 

“Leon, I’ve had training for nearly two years now. You don’t have to worry about me. I can take a few hits, hell bullet even, and I can still be okay. The perks of the G, but you don’t have that. I want  _ you  _ to be safe. I know what it’s like-.”

 

Leon whipped around and faced her stepping closer to her, a tone harsher than he intended, “If you think this is going to be like some training course then you’re in for a real shock. These kinds of people aren’t gonna go easy or try to knock you out. They. Will. Kill. You. I’m pretty sure your genetics can’t cure a shot to the head or the heart, so get that mentality out of your head right now.” 

 

“You don’t think I know that?” Sherry cried, sounding more upset than she wanted. “Why do you think I’m out here in the first place? To “get experience”? I’m here so you don’t end up like Claire, or worse. And for the first time in my life, I can actually do something to help.” Sherry sighed, she knew Leon only meant well. Hell, he was a father-figure to her after all. She could see how defeated he looked, and just as he was going to say something else when she quickly cut him off. “Let’s...just find what we need and move forward, okay?”

 

“Fine.” Leon figured he shouldn’t push her any further. He knew she just wanted to make a difference, but she needed to understand that one simple mistake could end up ending her life. Getting her focused was a starter. “Let’s go, then.”

 

With a quick nod, Sherry took out her hand pistol. “How do you want to do this? It doesn't seem like too many of them. Think we can sneak by?”

 

Easing his way around the corner of the tree, Leon evaluated his surroundings. The campsite itself seemed pretty typical; smaller tents followed by a few larger ones. “Well, any information that we would need is probably in that big tent right there. We could try and go in through the back, but that’s too risky. We don’t know how many people could be in there.” 

 

_ ‘But maybe a distraction would help…’  _

 

Looking at the trees in the distance, Leon smirked, “Well, I do have one idea.” 

 

Sherry followed his eyes toward the trees, shook her head, and laughed a little. “As long as it doesn’t involve you driving anything, than I’ll say it’s a fair shot.”

 

Leon rolled his eyes. ‘ _ It’s always about the driving. There goes Claire putting thoughts into her head.’  _

 

“First of all, you have been in a car with me before and since you’re standing here, alive, I believe I’m not a horrible driver. I actually still have my driver’s license. However, there are no motor vehicles involved. But...how good are you at climbing?”

 

Sherry shrugged her shoulders, gawking at the higher trees in the distance. “Uh, well I think I still have the record of getting to the top of the rock wall the quickest at the lab still. Why?”

 

Handing Sherry a hand grenade, Leon gestured toward the the higher trees further out. “I want you to go a few yards away and climb a tree, one with lots of leaves for cover, then throw this at the ground as far away from you as possible. It’ll be a distraction so it’ll draw them away from the camp and the main tent will be less occupied. I could go in there and grab as much as I can.”

 

“Okay,” Sherry carefully placed the grenade in her pocket. “We’ll keep in radio contact right? Where do you want to rendevouz?”

 

Leon hesitated before answering, “We should...play it by ear. Not sure about their movements just yet. When I figure it out, I’ll tell you then and we can meet up. Okay?”

 

“Got it.” Sherry nodded. She began to make her way toward the woods before quickly turning back around to Leon. “Hey! Just...be safe, okay? Don’t make me break your rules within an hour-time-span. By the way, if I were to say break a rule, is there a penalty system or…?”

 

“Umm I guess a very stern talking to you once I get you out of the situation.” 

 

“Ah. I’ll meet you later!” Sherry quickly began making her way toward the wooded area. Staying in cover, Sherry looked high to find a tree that was both doable and accessible. 

 

‘ _ Okay, you got this. It’s not that hard. Claire would be able to do it. I mean, how hard is it to climb a huge tree without slipping?’  _

 

“Alright, let’s hope I have beginner’s luck.” Carefully easing her way up a tree, she couldn’t help but struggle as she reached to the top. Settling herself secure enough on the tree, she reached for the grenade in her pocket. “Leon? I’m ready to go. Just say the word.”

 

“Okay. I’ll let you know when I’m in position. Just hang tight. Heh. Get it? Cause’ you’re in a tree?”

 

“Ha, all we need is a cat and me holding a sign saying, ‘Hang in there’!” 

 

“Right. Going radio silent. I’ll let you know when I’m ready.”

 

Sherry sat at her post looking for the perfect place for her to aim the grenade.  She needed to throw it far but not have a chance of it hitting a large branch on the way which could make the grenade fall closer to the tree. Or worse, it getting shot back at her. That would be a really messy end to her first mission. She had just found where she should throw it when Leon’s voice broke through the silence.

 

“Count down to 30 and throw it. Remember, you gotta throw it far.”

 

“Got it. Be safe.” 

 

Checking her surroundings once more, she reached for the detonation device in her pocket. Waiting until her thirty seconds was up, Sherry couldn’t help but let her mind wander. She began to wonder if being up here really was for strategic reasons, or if Leon was simply protecting her from potential harm. Leon trusted her; at least enough for her to actually be accompanying him. All she could do now was give all she’s got into whatever Leon thinks is best. 

 

‘ _ Well, here goes nothing! Let’s hope my aim is steadier than my climbing.’  _

 

Arching her arm back, she aimed for the path she chose before. Releasing the clip from the grenade, she threw it with all her might. With a big smile, she watched as the grenade flew across the field and exploded with a loud boom right where she wanted it to. 

 

_ ‘Not too shabby for a first timer, I hope Leon can get in and out before they get suspicious.’ _

 

Watching the smoke billow out and rise up, Sherry allowed herself a moment to take a breath, and really relax. Her eyes still keen on the sight in front of her, she kept her guard up to prepare for anything. 

 

Soon enough, a large group of mercenaries began rushing from the direction of their campsite. While the majority of the group raced toward the opposite direction, Sherry noticed one solitary mercenary walking a bit slower than the others. Unlike the rest of his comrades, he was searching high, his eyes wandering from tree to tree. Squinting her eyes to focus on the man, an overwhelming sense of worry began to take over. He seemed young, no older than eighteen. His eyes were a piercing blue and had a noticeable fresh scar on his right cheek. Even from the distance, Sherry could tell that this guy meant business. 

 

Suddenly there was a sound of rustling coming from the branches behind her. Gasping, Sherry jumped slightly at the noise behind her. Only to find a squirrel running through. After being relieved for only a second, Sherry shook her head slightly at her own shock. 

 

‘ _ Stupid squirrels. Wait a second… ‘  _ Looking back at the man below, she noticed his eyes locked right onto hers.

 

‘ _ Oh shit.’  _

 

Sherry didn’t know what to do. Was he actually looking at her or was he just searching the tree?  She thought she picked a tree that could hide her, but now she wasn’t feeling as confident in her selection. She felt as if his eyes just kept watching hers, as if he was waiting for her to make a move. It was almost like being cornered; literally. 

 

“Yo, man! Let’s go!” A voice further away shouted out, causing the man below to look over his shoulder then back at her hiding spot. The young man smirked slightly before jogging off in the direction of his comrades. 

 

_ ‘He saw me, didn’t he? He saw me and just let me go. Why?’  _ Shrugging her thoughts off of the young man, she waited until the voices of the men were echoed out. 

 

Focusing on the sound of the mercenaries’ movements, she waited until they were all gone to feel relieved. “Sherry, you there?” Leon’s voice in her earpiece snapped her back into reality. “Yes, I’m still here. How are you holding up?”

 

“I’m fine. Listen, meet me where we split up. I’m heading there now.” 

 

“Got it. See you soon.” Realizing how easier it was to climb down than up, Sherry was thankful for that rock climbing course she had to do. Loading her pistol, she carefully headed down towards the rendezvous point. Just as she turned the corner to where her and Leon split up, she noticed out of the corner of her eye a black hooded figure approaching her direction. ‘ _ Crap!’  _ Quickly dodging behind a tree, she held removed her gun from its holster and held it close to her. Holding her breath, she listened closely for footsteps. 

 

“Sherry?” Leon’s voice echoed in her earpiece. ‘ _ Kind of busy, Leon!’  _ Footsteps began to get closer and closer to her. The hooded figure began searching the bushes near her, with his back toward her. Watching the man, Sherry checked her surroundings before moving. 

 

‘ _ Maybe I can just knock him out. Save the bullets, minimize the noise.’  _ Slowly approaching the man, she raised her gun up to strike at the man in the back of the head.

 

Faster than Sherry could realize, the man kicked Sherry’s feet from under her. Quickly getting her senses back she reached for her gun before looking up at the man. “Oh shit. It’s only you”

 

Dumbfounded and confused, Leon removed the hood from his head and helplessly held out his hand to her. Sherry laughed to herself, shaking her head and sighing. “God, Leon! You could have said something!”

 

“I did!” Leon defended as he helped her to her feet. “You didn’t answer so I thought something happened. I was looking to see if there was a sign of a struggle.” 

 

“I guess it’s the thought that counts, huh?” Sherry adjusted her hair and jacket, brushing off the snow and dirt. “I sat in my little tree and played watch bird with no problems just like you said.” 

 

‘ _ Except for that brief run-in with that mercenary guy, but Leon doesn’t have to know about that. He wouldn’t let me live that down, for sure.’  _

 

“Obviously, and here you are. See? Listening to me isn’t always so difficult.” Leon gestured slightly to his mercenary attire. “Sorry about this, I should have warned you. I needed to get close without alerting anyone.”

 

“Well, it certainly worked on me at least. Did you find anything?” 

 

Leon frowned, shaking his head. “I don’t know, I didn’t have time to look through everything. I just copied everything they had from their laptop. I was gonna upload it to Hunnigan, hopefully she has more luck than I did.” 

 

“I hope so. It has to have something, anything for us to go on. But, why is a whole mercenary group here? Aren’t those types of groups a “gun for hire” sort of job?”

 

“Well, they definitely aren’t a German group from what I did see about them. Also, they are getting paid a ridiculous amount of money to be here.” 

 

“Well, let’s not stick around to find out what they were hired to kill and find something concrete about where Claire is. I just hope this isn’t a dead end…” 

 

“From the quick search I did while I was pulling everything, nothing about Claire or TerraSave came up.” Shaking his head, Leon pulled out his phone and began uploading the information. “I just don’t know.”

 

Sherry could see Leon’s distress. Regardless of how much she wanted to comfort him, she too couldn’t help but feel frustrated. “Great. We came all this way for what?”

 

Leon sat down on a nearby log, resting his head on his hand as he shook his head. “Hopefully something.”

 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

About a hundred yards behind them, a big group of the mercenaries started to gather.

 

“Remember what the boss said, boys. Don’t kill them. Subdue them until  _ he  _ gets here.”

 

One of the men let out a groan of disgust,  “Man, I hate that serpent guy. He freaks me the fuck out man.”

 

“Shut it! We’re almost near em’. Be ready, they aren’t gonna go down easily.”

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

 

Sherry sat down next to Leon, fixing her hair as she settled herself. “Well, hope can be quite powerful.” 

 

“Yeah.” Leon allowed himself a moment to relax. But only a moment. His eyes snapped open as he slowly took out his gun. Pulling Sherry closer to him, he whispered, “Don’t freak out, but I don’t think we’re alone. If there is someone there and they shoot at us, shoot back. Take a breath in and as you breath out, pull the trigger. When I say so, we run. Got it?”

 

Sherry nodded slowly, as she followed suit and took her gun out as well. She frantically began searching her surroundings. She tried not to panic as she tried to see or heard what Leon did. She almost didn't hear the soft sound of snapping twigs behind her over the sound of the wind.  She looked at Leon, waiting for for his word.

 

“One.” Leon said softly as he slowly cocked his gun. 

 

“Two.” Sherry responded with cocking her gun as well.

 

“Three!” Leon said as he shot up and started running with Sherry at his heels. The sound of gunshots followed them as they made their way through the trees. Leon grabbed onto Sherry and pushed her in front of him, trying to make himself a shield between the bullets and her. As the sound of their footsteps got louder, Leon turned and shot off two rounds.

 

“Sherry! Go left!” 

 

Sherry started to turn left when she abruptly stopped and forced Leon to stop behind her. A line of mercenaries waited for them with their gun pointing at them.  Leon threw an arm in front of Sherry as he looked around.  They slowly became surrounded with at least 30 mercenaries.  

 

_ ‘Holy fuck.’ _

 

Leon barely has time to take a defensive stance before the first few mercenaries rushed forward. The first one to reach them lunged towards Sherry but was stopped when Leon jumped in and punched him with his pistol. 

 

“Behind you!” Sherry shouted as she went back to back with Leon. She just got there when two mercenaries reached her. She ducked and dodged their attacks with ease while being able to place her own hits successfully. Leon smiled with pride before having to deal with mercenaries of his own. Three headed towards him and one of them jumped forward but Leon dodged it and punched the man square in the face, sending him down. From the corner of his eye he saw the second mercenary try and come from his side so Leon kicked him in the gut then punched him down. The third came from behind and jumped onto Leon’s back with force, sending Leon down onto the ground.

 

“Leon!” Sherry shouted out as she saw Leon go down.  She kicked the man she was dealing with in the chin then turned to help Leon before two more of them cut her off. Leon looked up from the ground and saw Sherry slowly getting overwhelmed. He growled before shoving his elbow into the face of the man on top of him. He gets up and throws himself into one of the men attacking Sherry. He punches him once in the face and starts to get up when he suddenly feels something cold and hard press into the back of his head. He didn’t have to turn and look to know it was a gun.  He completely stilled and only slightly turned his head in the direction of Sherry.  He caught her eye before he felt the gun smack into the back of his head, sending him down on the ground. 

 

“NO!” Sherry pushed one mercenary out of the way trying to reach Leon before two men with long sticks came after her.  One swung the long stick and Sherry ducked under it then rolled to avoid the other. She sprinted off the ground and crashed into one of the men, knocking the stick out of his hand.  She grabbed it and smacked the man on the ground, knocking him out. She turned to face the second man when she couldn’t see him. She didn’t realize he was behind her until she felt the stick smack into the back of her head causing her to see nothing but black.

 

The mercenaries on the ground we helped up as Sherry and Leon were picked up and were dragged away.  

 

One of the men rubbed his face and walked over to another.  “Man, that bitch hit me really hard.”

 

The other just rolled his eyes, “Whatever man, let’s just get them inside.”

  
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-


	6. Chapter 6

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

_ It was different this time. It wasn’t what it usually is. It wasn’t beer and Chinese takeout. This was a fancy restaurant. She was wearing her new longsleeve navy dress. He was in a button-down and dress pants. She was surprised he suggested this, he likes a routine, for something in his life to be consistent without the threat of change. His smile was genuine, he seemed totally at peace. Her heart couldn’t stop skipping a beat, her thoughts were being clouded. Was this the way it should have been? What could have been? _

 

_ “So, it’s about time we met up again. Thankfully not at an airport this time.” Leon chuckled, as he reached for his glass. _

 

_ “And not completely overwhelmed by the living dead, that’s always a plus. But, then again, I shouldn’t hold my breath. You are a walking time bomb for those kind of things.” Claire took another large gulp of her wine. She knew it wasn’t necessary, not around Leon. She didn't know why she was so nervous this time. _

 

_ “Ha, well it seems to happen only when I’m working and I’m pretty sure I’m not working right now.” Leon kept his eyes locked on her. _

 

_ “For all I know, you’re secretly on duty now. It seems to be the norm for you lately.”  _

 

_ She saw Leon cast his eyes down, moving his glass back and forth “Not because I want to be.”   _

 

_ “It’s so much easier to lose yourself with work. It...helps you avoid what’s happening right in front of you.” Claire couldn’t help but look up at him. Maybe this was the way it was always supposed to be. Just him, just her. Together. The way Leon smiled sadly, the way that smile tugged at her heartstrings. She had to break this, before it happens again. “Sherry misses you, a lot.”  _

 

_ “It’s not even that. It’s just, I’m the only agent with the experience with these types of situations making me the one they always call. And I miss Sherry as well, I wish I could see her more.” His voice got more quiet, looking more at his plate. “I missed you too.”  _

 

_ “I missed you too.” She said back to him, their eyes locked again. She insisted on fixing her hair for the fifth time. Sure, he always tugged her heart but not like this. She had to change the subject. Fast. “But, you’re here now. Did you see Sherry yet? Or is Simmons being the prick he always is?”  _

 

_ “When is he not being a prick? He said I wasn’t supposed to have come back this soon so he didn’t work my visit into her schedule. Like, what the fuck? But, I don’t want to talk about him. It’ll just dampen my mood.”  _

 

_ “You’re right,” Claire smiled sinisterly, leaning in closer to the table. “We should be talking about you and Angela. Did you two ever go diving together? Come on, I’m hanging on every little detail.” _

 

_ “Ugh!” Leon rolled his eyes, rubbing his forehead. “I was wondering how long it would take for you to bring that up. I haven’t talked to her since Hardville, despite her multiple attempts. I’m always away on work.” _

 

_ Claire couldn't help herself. “Strange. She seemed very smitten by you, I was just curious as to what became of her.” _

 

_ “Believe me,” Leon’s voice grew serious. “There is nothing to wonder. So, what’s been going on with you?” _

 

_ “What hasn’t happened after Hardville? Work is exhausting me to the bone, but I’m not gonna preach to the choir.” _

 

_ “Ha, not surprising. But, that’s not what I meant.” _

 

_ “What else is there? You work, I work. I see Sherry. I see my brother when he knows how to answer a phone-- everything is fine. I’m fine.” She didn’t mean to get defensive, especially with Leon. He’s always been her rock after all and he’s seen her worse. He’s seen her completely drunk at the Christmas party ranting about her cat allergy for twenty minutes. Or maybe this was different too. Things were getting personal again.  _

 

_ “You know, everytime I hear the word ‘fine’ I can actually feel the lie.”  _

 

_ “What do you want me to say, Leon? I still feel guilty about how things happened in Hardville. I should have done something better. I almost got you killed because of my naiveness.” _

 

_ “Believe me, Claire.” Leon lighted his tone. Something he always did when she was getting upset. “Out of all the people in Hardville, you were the person least likely to get me killed.” _

 

_ “Even though it was my fault that I lead you into the building that literally blew up, and have you fight a B.O.W?” _

 

_ “Which, in the long run, led us to resolve the situation so thank you for that. Claire, you did good.”  _

 

_ Claire smiled, tilting her head slightly. “Well, I did completely ignore you and saved your ass because of it.”  _

 

_ He smiled back at her, chuckling under his breath. “I don’t think I would call you almost dropping the floor from under me saving my ass.”  _

 

_ “Hey,” Claire softened her voice. “I...know I didn’t get a chance to say it before. But, thanks for coming back for me.”  _

 

_ “ _ _ You know, I’m actually insulted that you think I would never go back for you.” _

 

_ She wouldn’t dare look up at him. Not this time. Here he was, genuine. Here she was, comfortable and happy. Why couldn’t things work out like this all the time. This wasn’t their routine. She had to break it. “I didn’t realize how late it got, I didn’t mean to keep you so late. I’m sure you’ve got important people to be protecting.” _

 

_ “Somehow, I think they’ll be okay without me for one night. Besides, I see an important person in front of me.” _

 

_ She could give in, once isn’t bad. “Important, huh?” _

 

_ “Yeah...I mean, the guy sitting behind you is a CEO of something probably.” _

 

_ She couldn't help but laugh, more so at herself than the joke. “I doubt he’s better looking.” _

 

_ “Oh most definitely not, even though that mustache is quite dapper.”  _

 

_ “Always a competition with you, huh?” _

 

_ “Not when you always win. I learn to pick my battles carefully.” Noticing Claire looking at her phone, he rose from his seat, placing money down money to pay for their dinner.  _

 

_ After waiting for Leon pay for the meal, she waited for him to be next to her. She instinctively held onto Leon’s arm. “You know, I dar say that restaurant was way fancier than I anticipated.” _

 

_ “I know, but I wanted to try something different. I’m happy we did.”  _

 

_ “Well, I am impressed.” _

 

_ “Oh, don’t act so surprised. I can be nice when I want. Do you want a ride?” _

 

_ “No.” She answered too quickly than she should have. She had to react, before it was too late. “No, I’ll be okay. I know my way home.” _

 

_ “Please, I insist. I promise…” Leon hesitated himself. “It’ll just be a ride.” _

 

_ “ _ _ Oh, can you?” Claire said as the both walked out of the restaurant. _

 

_ “You know I can.” He winked as they waited for the valet to come back with his car. He held the door open for her.  _

 

_ Smiling back at him, she walked towards the car. “Alright. You can win this one. I just hope your driving has improved.” _

 

_ “Jesus, I crash a car once and get shit for it for life.” _

 

_ The rest of the ride followed with small tack, light contemporary pop music, and both of them trying to not catch glimpses at each other. He pulled up to her apartment building. They both waited for a moment. She didn’t know why.  _

 

_ She smiled at him, adjusting her coat. “Thanks for not crashing, by the way. I appreciate that.” _

 

_ “You know,” Leon smirked. “I was tempted at the stop sign back there but then I remembered how much I liked this car. But I had a great time, Claire.”  _

 

_ This was too much. She didn’t care if ended up with him leaving in the morning. She didn’t care if they got lost within each other again. She turned to him, sounding more emotional than she thought. She blamed the wine. “I hate the fact I don’t know when I could see you again. It could be weeks, months. I...I really missed you. I don’t want to say goodbye, as stupid as it sounds. I had fun too. I don’t want this night to end.” _

 

_ “You know I’m just a phone call away. Besides, I always come back. But, I should get going. Goodnight, Claire.” Leon leaned in closer to her. _

 

_ Turning her head, she leaned in and kissed him. _

 

_ A short, and innocent peck. Realizing the look on his face, she gasped. He totally meant to kiss her cheek.  “Oh god, I’m so sorry. I’m sorry I’ll just go I’m sorry-.”  _

 

_ Before she could turn to step out of the car, he kissed her back. This wasn’t their routine. She was used to him seeing her, hanging out, and having their one-night stand whenever he was in town.  _

 

_ It was nice, she trusted him. He trusted her. She’d talk about a commitment, he’d run, they’d get back together, rinse, repeat. She loved Leon, there wasn’t any doubt in that. Leon truly cared about her, no hesitations. And yet, she knew when he would leave in the morning, a part of her wants to run back after him and convince him to stay.  _

 

_ Claire laid in bed wondering when he would return.  _

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

“Claire! Claire! Wake up!” Still feeling drowsy, Claire instinctively groaned as she attempted to shut out any other noise.  _ Damn it, Leon. What now?  _

 

“Claire! I think I hear something!” 

 

That sure as hell wasn’t Leon. And this definitely wasn’t her apartment. Snapping back into reality, Claire fixed her hair back into a ponytail and grabbed the gun that was beside her. “What’s up?”

 

Learning her head out carefully into the hallway, she could hear Pete rise from his seat. Clearing his throat, he mumbled, “Yeah, it’s like I don’t know a clanking noise? It came from over there” He gestured openly toward the hallway. He quickly looked around his area, and shrugged. “Or maybe over there.” 

 

Claire couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “Okay, well, regardless that’s not a good sign. We better keep moving.”

 

“Yeah, okay.” Pete picked up his pipe, anxiously awaiting to follow. “Where are we going? How will we even get out?”

 

“Eventually we’ll find something. But staying here won’t help, we’ll be out of here soon.” Claire even felt herself loose faith. Sure, she’s been lucky over the years. But even that has to wear out at some point. She had to hope that there was a silver lining in this hell. Looking over at Pete, she noticed him fidgeting with the pipe. Almost as if he was trying to figure it out. He really did remind her of Steve a little; the way he’d talk and address situations. Smiling to herself, she took the pipe from Pete. Before he could protest, she held her hand up. “Do you know how to use this thing? Try hitting that middle bar right on the cell.”

 

With a smug look, he proudly grabbed back the pipe. Holding it like a baseball bat, he swung with all his might. Stumbling over himself, he hesitantly looked back up at Claire. “Hey, I hit the target. That’s what you wanted right?” 

 

“Well, you did hit the target but you are standing all wrong.”  Claire walked over to him, taking the pipe and holding it herself. “See? You have to stand with your legs like this otherwise you’ll lose control. Now,” She hands the pipe back to him, “try again.”

 

Pete takes the pipe and repositions himself.  He looked over at Claire, and she nodded approving his stance. He swung the pipe again, making contact with the bar again but keeping his composure. He smiled and looked at her again, “Like that?”

 

Claire felt bad for Pete; hell, he got thrown into this world just like she did. He was trying to shake off his nerves, reflecting her own calm attitude. She was just better at hiding it. She smiled reassuringly, “Looks good. Now, try hitting it again.” 

 

With a confident swing, the clang of the metal bar brought a smile to his face. “Ha! I think I got the hang of this now.” 

 

“Yeah, but don’t get too cocky. Let’s get going.” Hearing his footsteps behind her, she continued to wander the prison cell-hallway. It was too quiet for her, she felt her stomach clench up. It was only a matter of time before another creature appears. 

 

“So,” Pete caught up next to her, looking behind his back as he clutched the pipe. “What exactly are we looking for?”

 

“Preferably? A way out. But, nothing is ever easy.” At the end of the hallway, a massive door with three red blinking lights awaited them. Claire laughed to herself as she examined the door. “Like this, for example. We need some kind of identification card. Three for that. Well, two really since we already have one”

 

“Can’t we just...kick it down or something? Like the movies? Ugh, this is so annoying. I feel like a mouse in one of those stupid mazes.” 

 

“You got that right.” Looking around the room, there were two adjacent hallways branching off to the sides. Nodding toward the hallway on the right, she carefully tiptoed toward the door. A zombie-like creature awaited, his back facing Claire. He didn’t seem that dangerous, at least by her perspective. Whispering, “Hey, Pete? If I knock this guy down, do you want to take him out?”

 

“I mean, he seems more of your type…” By the look Claire gave him, he shifted uncomfortably and laughed to himself. “Uh, what do you mean?”

 

“Just impale him, that usually does it.”  _ Wow, you know when you say a sentence like that so casually that you hit rock bottom.  _ “Sound good?”

 

Eyes widen, Pete nodded slowly. “Uh...yeah, sure. Go for it.”

 

Crouching, Claire sneaked up behind the creature. Kicking him down forcefully, Claire waved Pete over. “Now!” 

 

Faster than Claire thought, Pete rushed toward the creature and slammed the pipe through the creature’s head. With a loud thud, blood splattered around him. With a small smirk to himself, he then gestured toward his now bloodied suit. “Ugh, that was grosser than I expected.” 

 

“Yeah, that tends to happen. Let’s look around before any more come.” 

 

Attempting to clean off his jacket, Pete commented. “You know, this place looks like an office. Maybe the key to the door will be here? Or keycard- like, can’t there just be a master key like who the fuck knows what key goes to what door? How can you even keep track of that?” Shaking his head, he sighed. “Sorry, now I’m babbling. I tend to do that when I’m nervous…” Gesturing toward the dead creature, Pete grimaced. “Or to vomit about that thing, or it’s blood on me, or this whole goddamn situation.”

 

“As strong as your points are,” Claire put her hand on Pete’s shoulder. “You’re doing good. I know this isn’t easy, but we’ll be out of here soon.” Wandering over to the desk, Claire noticed files scattered all over the desk. “Sure seems like a lot of information to just be lying around.”

 

“That doesn’t make any sense.” Pete stood beside her, reaching for a file. “What are these?”

 

There was a folder marked with Claire’s name on it. Opening the folder, a bunch of black-and-white photos fell from it. All the photos were of herself, walking or talking.  _ What the hell?  _ One photo was of her and Chris, having lunch together. Another was of her shopping with Jill. And another photo was of her and Leon, the night of their fancy dinner.  _ This was all months ago…  _ “Someone’s been keeping tabs on me, that’s fun. Always wanted to add ‘stalked’ to my bucket list. 

 

“Well, that’s not creepy at all. Wait a second…” Reaching for a file, he gasped as he opened it. “This is mine! They have photos of me and my brother, Finn! Look! I was dropping him off at the airport before he went to school. This was two months ago, how long were they watching us?” 

 

All the files had names of TerraSave members, as well as a few names she didn’t recognize. This was planned out, and definitely aimed out to each of them. But, why? “Roger’s file, Gina’s file...Someone has been watching us all, but why TerraSave? Did we piss off the wrong people?”

 

“Heh, irony. I go into this to stay off the zombie fighting field, and here I am.” Reaching for another file, Pete pondered as he flipped through the photos. “There’s a lot on this one. Who’s Sherry Birkin?”

 

Claire suddenly felt her heart drop. Her stomach twisted as her face paled.  _ No. Not Sherry.  _ “What?” Claire took the file away from Pete, more forcefully than she realized. Inside the file was photographs of Sherry going to a coffee shop with Claire and Leon, and many more. “She’s supposed to be...No one is supposed to-!” Claire groaned with frustration.

 

The dots began to connect with Pete, anxiously shouting out. “Wait a second...This is the girl from the TerraSave party! The cute one who was with you. Why does she look like super young in these photos...Wait! Birkin? As in the William Birkin? Is she related to that psychopath?” 

 

_ Shit. Well, this was bound to happen now that she’s no longer under government 24/7 supervision.  _ Sighing, Claire shook her head. “I’m guess a ‘mere coincidence’ isn’t gonna cut it with you?” 

 

Gesturing his surroundings, Pete exclaimed, “Like I’m going to believe  _ this  _ is a mere coincidence?” 

 

_ God I hope she’s okay. She’s got to be. Simmons probably locked her up the second he could. As much as I hate this for her, at least she’s safe from this hell.   _ “Okay, yes, the girl from the TerraSave party is William Birkin’s daughter. But, trust me, she has nothing to do with any of this-!” 

 

“What even is ‘this’?” 

 

“Ahh” A smooth, calm voice suddenly broke through the room, “an excellent question indeed.”

 

Claire and Pete drop the papers in their hands and quickly reach for their respective weapons, looking around frantically for the source of the voice.

 

“I’ll give you something else to think about.” The voice paused momentarily before starting again, “‘ _ The whole secret of existence is to have no fear. Never fear what will become of you, depend on no one. Only the moment you reject all help are you freed.’ _ ”

 

The bracelets. Claire held the bracelet to her ear, hearing the voice more clearly as it continued to speak. When it was quiet again, Claire spoke directly into the bracelet.

 

“Who are you? What do you want?”

 

The bracelet was silent for a moment before the smooth voice spoke again, “The only way forward is back.” Suddenly, alarms sounded off throughout the room followed by the sound of doors being slammed open accompanied by grunting sounds. 

 

_ ‘Back? Back where?’  _ Claire was even more confused but this was no time to think about this, she needed to be focused. “Pete! Get ready!” She shouted as she took her stance, aiming her gun at the doorway. She glanced over and saw Pete nod his head as he readies his pipe, tightening his grip. She was about to look away when Pete shifted his hold, revealing that his bracelet was no longer green, but orange. Claire was about to ask about it when she heard those creature come into the room. Quickly, she took aim shooting the first two who ran into the room in the head, making them fall instantly. A third one sprinted into the room and dodged as Claire tried to shoot him in the head. She instead aimed for it’s knees, making it fall down. She was about to shoot him in the head when Pete ran in front, slamming the pipe down onto its head.

 

Pete yanked the pipe back up, and turned towards Claire. “See? I told you I was getting better. I’m a pretty fast learner.”

 

Claire smiles at him, reloading her gun. “Looks like you are.” She glanced down at his bracelet, an orange color still emitting from it. She looked at hers, shocked to see that it was orange as well.

 

“Hey Pete, weren’t our bracelets green at one point?” He looked down at his bracelet quickly then at hers. “Yeah, I think so. What does this mean?!”

 

Wasn’t that the question of the day. Claire felt like they were just running around and around in circles, moving forward but not really getting anywhere. It wasn’t even like questions were being answered. Just more and more questions were being piled on. 

 

“I honestly have no idea. But this is definitely how that voice spoke to us. I’m sure of that.”

 

“Yeah, that sounded like a woman right? What crazy woman did we piss off?” Pete pondered as he looked more intently at the bracelet, as if looking at it harder would will it to give him answers. 

 

“Again, no clue but we shouldn’t stand here. We should get moving before more of them show up.” 

 

“Okay, but just hold on a second.” Pete hurried back to the desk, looking at the files and pictures that were dropped before. He shuffled through them, finding the picture of him and his brother. He smiled softly at his before he folded it up and stuffed it into his pants pocket. He got up and jogged to where Claire was waiting for him. Once he got close, she gestured a door that was now wide open since the door was thrown off its hinges.

 

“Well, this works.” Claire started moving towards the door, glancing in before walking in with Pete right behind her.

 

“Oh God,” Pete grimaced pointing towards the left of the room, “Is that Gina?!” 

 

Claire quickly turned and sure enough she saw Gina’s bloody body lying on the floor. It looked as if she was trying to crawl towards the door but didn’t make it. Claire felt tears come to her eyes as she knelt down beside Gina. She grabbed on to her hand, silently apologizing for this happening to her. She was gonna get up when she saw that a keycard was in her other hand, softly taking it from her.

 

“Give it to me, I’ll take it.” She glanced at Pete before holding out the keycard. He was trying not to look at Gina’s mangled body on the floor. She could see that he was upset, but didn’t want her to notice it. Pete snatched the keycard and put it in his pocket. As he walked away, Claire reached out to him. “Hey, are you okay?”

 

Pete ripped away from her, moving further away from her. “Oh yeah, I’m completely peachy-fucking-keen right now. Can we please just find the other key so we can get the fuck out of here. I really don’t want to be ripped apart by one of those things.”

 

Claire watched him as he went into the next room. She could understand his frustration, hell she felt the same thing but she knew she couldn’t make her fear take over her. She had to fight through it, stay level headed. She has had much experience where she saw people get killed because they were overtaken by fear. She couldn’t do that, and she had to make sure Pete didn’t either. She followed him into the next room, which was much darker than the other room. 

 

“Damn, a flashlight would have been nice to find.” Claire lightly said to Pete, hoping to lighten the mood a little. 

 

“Yeah, I guess our lovely host forget about that for our welcome basket of blood, keys, and guns.” Pete spat out as he shuffled around, looking for something useful. Claire sighed as she walked towards a closet and opened it. She let out a scream as something fell towards her. She backed up when she realized it was another body, wearing a TerraSave jacket. Pete ran towards her, pipe ready to swing. “Are you okay? What is it?”

 

“I’m alright, its just someone else.” Flipping the body over, she examined it. It was so ripped up that she couldn’t even tell who it was supposed to be. She glanced at his hand and sure enough he was holding another one of the keycards. She removed it from him when a creature jumped out of the closet and slammed into her, throwing her onto the ground.

 

The creature was on top her, trying to bite her. Claire was holding it off her, as she tried to grab her gun. 

 

“Hey, asshat!” Pete ran up and slammed the creature in the back with the pipe. The creature growled, got off Claire and started advancing towards Pete, who was backing up. Claire got up and took out her gun, shooting the creature once in the head before it reached Pete. After the creature fell, they both let out a deep breath. 

 

“Okay, so new rule. Lets not open anymore closet doors please.” Pete stated as he walked to pick up the keycard that Claire dropped. “And that makes three.” 

 

Claire reholisted her gun and nodded her head, “Lets get out of here.”

 

They both smiled as they quickly and quietly made their way back to the big door. Placing all three of the keys into the holes, the door beeped a few times before sliding open. They walked into the completely dark room, their footsteps echoing with each step. As they got further into the room, the door they came through slammed shut. Pete ran back to the door, pounding on it and trying to get it open. Claire was about to go help when she heard the lights start to click on in the room. She threw her hand in front of her eyes due to the light blinding her.

 

“What...what is this place?”

 

Once her eyes adjusting she finally looked at her surroundings. She gasped and threw her hands over mouth. 

 

_ ‘No, no, no. This can’t be...’ _

 

Pete noticed the change in Claire demeanor and walked towards her, “Do you know where we are?

 

Claire shook her head, “Yes, but it can’t be. I mean it was destroyed this can’t be it.”

 

“What is it?!”

 

“It’s the Raccoon City Police Department.”

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

A figure was sitting behind a desk, watching Claire’s reaction at her surroundings and her vital signs. The figure was vigorously jotting down notes, as if they couldn’t write fast enough. 

 

“Hm, interesting.”

 

The phone ringing interrupted the person’s train of thought. Placing the pen down, the figure got up and walked towards the phone and answered it.

 

“Yes?”

 

“I got them.” A deep voice came over the side. 

 

“Excellent.” A smile crept onto the figure’s face, “Are they sedated?”

 

“Of course. I’m also making sure the girl is getting more injections, since you said she can metabolize it quicker.” 

 

“Good.” The figure sat back down and continued to write notes, “When can you be back here by? I need them into position, as well as you.”

 

The deep voice paused only a moment before responded, “An hour or two. It took that stupid mercenary group you hired a while to get them off the plane. Why did you even hire them in the first place?”

 

The figure flipped through a few papers, “One of their members is of special interest to me but now is not the time for that. Get back here as fast as you can. I need to get more data.”

 

“Yes ma’am.” 

 

Hanging up the phone, the woman leaned back in her chair focusing back onto Claire’s face. “The preliminary trials are over. Let the main tests begin.”

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-


	7. Chapter 7

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

It was like being sucked back into a nightmare all over again. She closed this part of her life. As much as it was a part of her, it was the past. But now being back in the same grand hall where it all began, Claire could feel all that fear build up inside of her. She hated herself for allowing herself to feel this way. After all, it’s probably what their captor wanted. She felt like she was standing in the same spot for hours and hours. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. For a moment, she forgot about Pete beside her.

 

His low voice broke the silence as he began to walk toward the front desk. “How...How is this possible? Raccoon City was literally obliterated off the map.” Noticing Claire wasn’t following him, he turned back around and found her completely still. Her eyes looked toward the ground, clearly lost in her own thoughts. 

 

“Someone went through a lot of trouble just recreate it.” Her voice cracked. The flooring, the statute, the office desk, even the damn computers. A low hum echoed the room. Looking up she noticed a security camera slightly turn as a red light blinked consistently.  _ This is exactly what she wants. She wants to see me react? Fuck that. She can recreate Raccoon, but she can’t force me to be who I was.  _

 

“Are...you okay?” Pete asked carefully as he began rummaging through the draws. 

 

“Yeah. Weirded out, but I’m good.” Forcing a smile, Claire joined Pete behind the desk. Lying next to the computer was a stack of newspapers. Grabbing the first one, Claire scanned over the date of the newspaper. “1998. It looks like an exact replica of the paper that came out the day Racoon City got hit. Think my old horoscope warned me about zombies?” She flipped the page until she reached the horoscopes and quickly scanned the page until she reached the appropriate horoscope. She cleared her throat before she started talking,  _ “ ‘ _ _ This is a wonderful day for any contest of intellect or test of will. What you have gone through before will enable you understand exactly how to proceed, now. There is probably not going to be enough time for the type of deep deliberation you are most comfortable with, but you won't really need it anyway.’.” _

 

Pete chuckled as he attempted to get the computer back online. “Maybe it’s about one of your boyfriend, hm?”

 

Claire sharply turned her head, giving Pete a stern look. She knew he was just teasing, but the last thing anyone needed to know was her love life. Of course people love to gossip and every few months a rumor that she was hooking up with one of their co-workers always came up.  She never hooked up with anyone she worked with, not like that would stop people from talking anyway. 

 

Pete grimaced, her look alone was scary enough. “I totally meant no insult to you, ma’am!” He quickly scanned the desk, desperately trying to change the subject. “Um, what are these things anyway?” Picking up an old ink ribbon from the drawer, he examined it. “These things are definitely weird.”

 

“Oh, those? I always found those lying around. I didn’t find much use to them. But these doors,” Claire gestured toward the hall. “All these I’m sure are locked. She wants us to retrace the same steps I did years ago...Like reliving the nightmare all over again.” 

 

“Think any of these will help?”  Handing Claire a ring of keys from the desk, he watched as she began trying to unlock the door. Smirking, he leaned seductively against the desk. “So...If she wants you to be back in 1998, does that mean I’m the suave Leon Kennedy-? OW!” Slipping off of the desk ungracefully, he stumbled to recover. 

 

Claire laughed as watched Pete rushed to get himself back on his feet and positioned himself back on the desk. She thought of Steve again. Like the way he would get so frustrated his voice would jump an octave. Or how hard he played the ‘tough guy’ act to keep himself, and probably her, from going insane. He was cocky, yet had an innocence about him. 

 

She shook her head. Thinking about the dead won’t help. She has to get Pete and herself out of this. Hell, she can’t imagine how terrified he must be right now. Tilting her head she smiled warmly. “Whatever gives you that ego boost, Pete. Besides, Leon is in a category of his own’.” 

 

“Oh yeah?” Pete questioned, smirking slightly. “Is that cause-?”

 

“If you know what’s good for you, you would stop your sentence there.”

 

“Right.” Pete reluctantly leaned off the desk and began walking toward the rear end of the hallway. “Well, if you’re memory is good and this is exactly how Racoon City used to be, which way out of here, Boss?”

 

Finally finding the correct key, Claire slowly opened the door and holstered her gun closely. “We’re looking for the S.T.A.R.S. office, it should be nearby. Stay close, anything could be here.”

 

Pulling his pipe from the back of his jeans, he nodded. “Got it. Why do you even think Cruella de Vil picked this place to recreate?”

 

“Well...This is where everything started for me. I guess it’ll be fitting if I ended exactly where I started.” She felt the sting of her own words. She wouldn’t call herself an optimistic but she never let it get to her as much as she did before. Having Pete with her at least gives her a reason to keep moving forward. His eyes darted down to floor, shrugging his shoulders.

 

_ Great job, Claire. Let’s just make him feel worse!  _ Sighing, Claire stopped in her tracks and turned to Pete. “I’m sorry I got you caught up in this, Pete. Everyone at TerraSave, the people we’ve lost...This isn’t going to be easy. I’m not gonna let anything happen to you.”  _ Or Sherry. God, I hope she’s okay. Leon wouldn’t let anything happen to her. At least she’s with him...hopefully.  _

 

“Hey, don’t blame yourself. I wanted to be here. Uh, well...actually I wouldn’t say I would want to be  **here** here-!” Pete flustered as he nervously darted his eyes around the hallway. “Ugh, you know what I mean. But seriously, I wouldn’t want to be stuck in a death zone with anyone else but you. Besides, without you I’d probably have been dead a long time ago so let’s just concentrate on me not being dead and we’ll make it through!”

 

A loud boom echoed the hall as a bright light flashes. Pete jumped backward toward the hall, facing away from the windows. “Damn! Do you think that’s real? It sounds like a real storm!”

 

“Maybe. After everything else you’ve seen? You’re afraid of a little thunder?” Claire teased. 

 

“Psh, no! Of course not!” Pete answered nervously, pacing himself back to Claire’s side. “So, which way is that room thing anyway?”

 

“It should be close. Be careful near those windows, anything can come out of them.” Ahead of the hallway, Claire could notice a few bodies lying still. Gesturing Pete to hang back, Claire carefully approached the first body. Trying not to get too close, Pete slowly made his way behind the head of the corpse. As she began to lean in closer to see what exactly was there, Pete raised his crowbar and bluntly smashed the skull of the corpse. 

 

Jumping back in surprise, Claire exclaimed, “Whoa! That was...resourceful?”

 

“Ha!” Pete smirked as he wiped the blood onto the corpse’s jacket. “What can I say? Do you think I’m ready for the zombie killing weekend league? I’m a definitely a shoe-in for the MVP. Is that further?” 

 

“It’s not too far, I don’t think. Come on.” Claire felt uneasy about Pete’s sudden confidence. She could remember the first time she killed her first zombie. After that, you grow numb to it-- focusing on surviving the next ten minutes. Maybe Pete was picking up the adaptation from her. Using jokes and optimism to get through. Steve was a lot like that, maybe that’s how they made it so far she always wondered. She was thorough, very focused minded on making it while Steve gave her the ease. 

 

_ “What was that?” Steve barked as he dodged an attack. “I was just getting warmed up! That wasn’t much of a challenge! Ha!” _

 

It’s been so long since she’s thought about him. Sometimes, if she’s had enough to drink, the guilt would kick back in. But that was in the past, she couldn’t lose herself in that again. Taking a deep breath, she lead Pete down the hallway.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Neither of them were sure how much time had passed before they finally gotten in front of the S.T.A.R.S office. It had to have been at least two hours, at least that was it felt like. The way here wasn’t as easy as she hoped it would be -- with there being more of those bizarre creatures from before and more puzzles than she remembered. Maybe she blocked out more of this place than she realized. And of course, Pete was asking questions every free moment about her experience here. That is, unless he was cowering away from the windows as they shook from the thunder. She understood that he was fearful of it as most people are when they are younger, but usually you grow out of it. He was definitely hiding something, but this wasn't the place for it. Maybe once they are safely in the office, she can ask.

 

“Got it!” Carefully turning the knob, Claire slowly entered in the room. She gasped at the awe of the condition of the office. It was almost like stepping back into a memory. 

 

The little cracks at the corner of the walls, the tacky furniture and cramped office drawers. She didn't even have to look for Chris's desk, she knew it would be the messiest one and sure enough it was. His desk was right in the center of the room. Instinctively walking over to the desk, she picked up a notebook sitting next to the computer. Flipping through the journal, Claire cracked a small smile at the illiteracy of her brother’s handwriting but though all these years she learned how to comprehend it. 

 

‘ _ I didn’t realize how much Chris wrote in this thing. He wrote a lot about his team, let’s see there’s some logs about practice, and- Wow! A lot about Jill...A lot of personal stuff, there’s no way someone could fake his handwriting and his own words. How the hell can someone recreate something that was destroyed years ago?’ _

 

“Hey, check me out!” 

 

Claire snapped her eyes from the notebook to Pete’s voice and was taken aback as he stretched his legs across the captain’s desk.  _ That’s WESKER’S desk!  _  Wearing the iconic dark sunglasses, he tilted his head back against his chair. Lowering his tone, he proudly exclaimed, “The right to be a god is now mine!”

 

“Take those off, now! You look ridiculous and you’re supposed to be helping me!” Claire warned as she marched over. Pete quickly stumbled off of the desk and placed the sunglasses back to their original spot. As she reached closer to Pete, a flash of red caught her eye. Turning back around toward the entryway, she noticed something shine from the coat rack. 

 

_ If that’s what I think it is, my life is turning into one cheesy movie. _

 

She felt her stomach drop. Her signature red crested vest hung on the hanger, it’s back shing with the studded words ‘Made in Heaven’. It wasn’t just seeing her signature jacket for the first time in years, it was the agonizing realization that hit Claire like a ton of bricks.

 

_ I gave Sherry my vest. She’s had it. How the hell is it here? No, that has to be fake.  _

 

Claire’s train of thought was quickly abrupt by Pete’s whistling. “Wow, Redfield, is that yours? I never picked you as a biker chick. And for the record, I was looking for clues like you said - but I couldn’t resist with the glasses.”

 

Slipping the vest on, Claire felt a sense of security.  _ Maybe it’ll still be as lucky as I left it.  _ Focusing back, Claire walked over to Chris’ desk. “Did you find anything else? There’s gotta be something here…”

 

“Well,” Pete mused as he pointed to a newspaper article. “this is recent. It’s about what happened at the fundraiser and our disappearances.”

 

“What else?”

 

Putting back on Wesker’s glasses, he cleared his throat and sat upright in the seat, “It says, ‘The search continues for the missing TerraSave members and contributors after Friday night’s tragedy. After concerns that this might have been a terrorist attack although no specific group has taken responsible for it, the government has taken over the investigation, ‘ _ I have no doubt the missing members will be found soon’,  _  says Chief Security advisor Derek C. Simmons .”

 

“No surprise he’s involved, probably trying to cover it up.” Claire commented as she continued to skim the paper on Chris’ desk. “At this point, maybe our horoscopes would give us more clues than what we have now. And take off those sunglasses and make yourself useful and-.” 

 

“Wait!” Pete exclaimed as he grabbed the newspaper. Quickly removing the glasses, then placing them back on, his eyes widened. “Woah, Claire! You gotta see this! It’s like, it’s a whole new article or something” 

 

“What?” Taking the sunglasses from Pete, she began to read the article again. Instead of the words printed in ordinary print, it was highlighted. “Weird, every third word in the sentences are highlighted. It’s like it’s all jumbled...’Continues. Missing. And. Friday. After. This. Been. Attack. Specific. It. Has. The. No. Members. Found.’?” 

 

“Uh,” Pete raised his brow, squinting at the print she was reading at. “That just sounds like words. Maybe we can find another paper, or a different page to put it all together? Do you think that would help?”

 

“Hm,” Claire shrugged. She didn’t want to believe like this was all making sense, but it wouldn't be here without some reason of it. “Maybe there’s something else we’re missing. Maybe it’s a message of some sort. Let’s see, so does Friday mean something? Maybe we only have a day. And, ‘specific’? Is that supposed to be us?”

 

“So,” Pete pondered as it began to click. “You think that, ‘no members found’, means that they didn’t find any of us? Or that they won’t, ever?”

 

“I think anyone that was taken is...probably gone. Or worse. And we don’t have a lot of time to get ourselves out of this either. I mean, when I fled Racoon before it...well, it definitely went with a bang.” 

 

“You mean this bitch is gonna nuke us? Oh hell no!” Pete cried, frantically flipping through the remaining papers. Taking the sunglasses off of Claire, he put them back on his face. “There’s got to be more information than this! We’ve got to keep looking! Wait, I found another! It...It mentions your brother.”

 

“Chris?” Claire echoed faintly. 

 

“Yeah, it says, ‘Chris. China. Stuck. BSAA. In. Deep. No. Out’. Well, that sounds pleasant?” 

 

“China? What would he being doing out there?” Claire exclaimed.  _ Don’t tell me he’s getting sucked into something else again...Please let him be okay. _

 

“Wait, I got something else! Here, it mentioned that guy you were talking about.” Pete’s eyes widened. Quickly crumbling up a piece of paper and putting it in his back pocket, he looked over at Claire who was still reading Chris’ article. “Here, it mentions that Leon guy. I’m going to check these lockers. Hell, maybe there’s something that can stop a nuke.” 

 

Taking back the glasses from Pete, she continued to scan the paper. “Great, more jumbled up words. ‘Leon. Roots. Choices. Lost’? What the hell does she want with us?”  

 

“I guess playing dress-up is one of them!” Pete snickered as he pulled out an all too familiar outfit from one of the lockers.

 

_ You’ve got to be kidding me. _

 

Held high in Pete’s grasp was nothing other than the outfit she wore on that fateful night in 1998. Almost an exact replica; the t-shirt, the jean shorts, the leggings, her boots- a sudden dreaded realization hit her. She looked down at her tattered dress, knowing realistically she wouldn’t get too far in it.  _ As creepy as this is gonna be, I probably should change. I’m definitely gonna have to ask Jill how she ran around Raccoon killing zombies and running from Nemesis all while wearing a miniskirt. _

 

“Uh,” Pete interrupted her thought. “No offense, I totally know it’s creepy, but maybe it’ll be more comfortable in that than your dress?”

 

Sighing, she yanked it from Pete’s grasp. “Fine. Will you be alright alone outside for a minute?”

 

“Oh, yeah, sure!” Pete groaned, reaching for the crowbar in his back pocket. “I’ll just, you know, stand outside with all the flesh-eating-zombies and stuff, no biggie. If you hear a scream, you know they’re close.” 

 

After he left, Claire took a moment to herself. Looking around the room, then back to the outfit. It felt strange to see herself in it again. It was who she was, it made her feel strong again. But now, she couldn’t help but see just how much  _ older  _ she felt. She knew once Chris and Leon didn’t have a choice but to fight, she wouldn’t waste her chance not to. Claire knew she let go this part of her life a long time ago. Putting her hair back up, she shook off her thoughts as she opened the door to the room. “Pete? Are you okay?”

 

Pete’s back was faced to her. His stance a little wobbly as his eyes darted from window to window. His voice cracked as he began twirling the pipe in his hand. “Oh, I’m fine. Just saw my life flash before my eyes a bit, but hey, I’m solid. Can I come back in now or..?” 

 

“Yeah, sure.” Turning around, his eyes widened as Pete entered the room. Fighting the urge to laugh, he simply shook his head. Claire beat him to the punch, glaring, “Don’t. Say. A. Word.” 

 

“Oh, I won’t.” Pete’s grin grew wider. “But I can see exactly why your brother basically drills every guy in TerraSave when you bring him to parties. Yeah, I definitely don’t wanna be on that list.” 

 

“He does?” Claire echoed, more so for herself. She wasn’t surprised, considering her brother’s track record for  _ all  _ the guys she’s ever dated in the past.  _ Chris, I hope you’re alright out there. Doesn’t look like you’re going to come and save me this time. I gotta get out of this on my own this time.  _ “Forget it. We better just focus on figuring out how to get out of here.” 

 

“Well, I was thinking…” Pete mused. “I think the papers that we found are just to toy with us. Giving us tidbits of our lives, dangling them in front of us? I think this was supposed to distract us or something? I mean, think back to when you were here last since that’s what the psycho bitch wants you to do. Right? When you got here, what did you do? I mean, I’m just guessing here, but I mean having all these newspapers of present day when we are supposed to be in a 1998 setting...Something doesn’t sit right with me. Not like any of this does, but still. You know?”

 

_ She wants us to be distracted.  _ “She wants me to retrace every step I barely remember...I was so busy freaking out over everything around me then, I’ve spent so long trying to lock it out. If that’s what she wants, we have to get underground somehow. Everything should be locked, one way or the other. Or at least they should be if she’s recreating it. There should be a map nearby…”

 

“Ready when you are. Lead the way.” 

 

Claire reloaded the last handful of bullets she had left, and with a nod from Pete, went toward the door. Unknowing what will lie for them…

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The blonde figure sat in front of the screens monitoring Claire and Pete, jotting down a note while not taking her eyes off the screen. After writing, she dropped the pen and leaned back. “Most interesting.” 

 

The sound of the door opening finally distracted her from the screens. The man with the serpent mask closed the door behind him before turning back to her. As he walked towards her he pulled off his mask, his brown hair just barely covering his blue eyes. 

 

“Sorry to interrupt,” he cleared his throat before continuing, “but everything is in place, just as you wanted.”

 

She looked him over once and smirked before turning her attention back to the monitors. “Not everything but that will come in time. There are still a few more things that need to be done. First off, Claire needs to be separated from the boy. I thought he would have a different effect on her but he is actually calming her. I think he would do better in the sewers, hopefully he’ll be of better use to us down there. Now let’s get started on that.” She leaned in and started typing on the computer until a small screen popped up reading “LOCKS ENGAGED”. On the monitor, Claire and Pete try desperately to open the door but to no avail. She slightly smirked before typing again and stopped once another screen came up. “GAS ON”. Smoke slowly started to enter into the STARS office, with Claire and Pete not noticing until the it reach them. It only took a few more moments for them to both pass out. The blonde leaned back with a smirk while observing Claire and Pete’s vitals on a different screen. 

 

“They should be passed out for about an hour. Make sure they are where they need to be.” She dismissively stated towards the man so it was to her surprised when she didn’t hear him leave. The blonde turned back to face him, to see him staring at Claire’s picture next to her vitals. 

 

“What are you doing?” She hissed, “Go!”

 

The young man seemed startled at her outburst and took a step back. “I’m sorry,” he shook his head, “but the more I look at her, the more I think I know her. I just can’t figure out why.” He suddenly threw his hand up to grip his head, his face contorting with pain. “It’s making my head hurt.”

 

The blonde pursed her lips before she got up and walked over to a small desk, opening a drawer and pulling out a needle. “Oh that’s completely fine, my dear.” She slowly sauntered towards him. “Let me just give you something for your pain.” She closed the gap between them and he leaned his head to the side, exposing his neck to her. She gently placed the needle into his neck and injected the purple serum inside. The man let out a relieved breath once she pulled the needle out. 

 

“There, now you should feel like yourself in no time. Now, please get moving we don’t have much time.”

 

The man nodded his head before putting his mask back on and walking out of the room. Once he was out, the blonde walked back over to monitors and sat back down in her chair.

 

“Let’s just hope he doesn’t feel too much like himself until the time comes.”

  
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-


	8. Chapter 8

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

_ The hell happened?  _ Pete’s vision blurred as his eyes began to adjust to the flickering lights above him. His head pulsed with every muscle he moved.

 

Feeling the cold, concrete with his hands as he slowly rose up, a strong aroma snapped him from his daze.  _ Ugh, it reeks. Am I...in a sewer?  _

 

He would have been freezing if it wasn’t for the coat he found himself wearing.  _ A lab coat? Since when did I get a weird scientist coat? How did I even get here?  _

 

“Ugh, I really hope TerraSave offers rael good health insurance, Claire.” Slowly rising to his feet, the realization turned his stomach. 

 

Claire wasn’t with him.  

 

He was alone. 

 

“What the fuck-? Claire?! CLAIRE?” He mentally kicked himself for screaming out in the vast tunnels, knowing he could have totally given away his location. For the second time since he got here he was alone-- how could he even make it without her? What if she was hurt somewhere? His head was least of his problems now. Feeling his palms get sweaty, his heart rate racing- Pete felt utterly lost. 

 

_ Get yourself together. Claire could be in trouble. But with my pipe gone now…  _ Pete sighed as he began looking around for something, anything. 

 

_ A stick? Really?  _ Groaning, he picked it up and began heading down the hallway. 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

_ What happened? Where am I? _

 

Sherry awoke with her head pounding. Slowly rising up, she gasped. No longer wearing her jacket and jeans, she instead had on a uniform. Her uniform that she wore to school, with the ‘Eastern Elementary’ logo embedded on her chest. What made Sherry’s heart drop was the pendant around her neck- her mother’s pendant.  _ The one I wore that night, it had a sample of the G-Virus in here. It has to be a fake mine had a crack on the-!  _ Sherry slowly turned the necklace around and found a small crack on the corner. Exactly where she cracked her own when she dropped it years ago. 

 

This was a clear enough message for her. Someone had to have changed her, let alone into the same outfit she wore that night, her mother’s bracelet- and for what? Her wrist now had a prison-like bracelet around it, glowing orange.  _ The hell? What’s going on? _

 

“Leon?” She asked wearily, hoping he was nearby.

 

It was that same dreadful feeling she hasn’t felt in years. 

 

She was completely alone. 

 

In the sewers. In her same outfit.

 

_ No, you can’t freak out right now. I have to focus here!  _ Steadying her breath, she slowly rose to her feet.  _ I’m fine, Leon’s probably fine. If this is where Claire is, I have to find them.  _ Sherry reached for her gun, but cursed under her breath. “Of course it’s gone.” Shrugging off her frustration, she slowly began making her way down the tunnel. Echoes of footsteps in the water came from a head. Peering around the corner, Sherry noticed someone-- something wearing a white lab coat, walking slowly.  _ That could be anything, it could have something I can use. _

 

Carefully watching her steps, she picked up her pace as she got closer to him. Once she was close, she made her strike. Tackling it from behind, she quickly yanked it’s weapon away and raised it above his head. 

 

“AH! STOP, NO!”

 

Before she could strike at him, Sherry gasped at the enemy in front of her. Her breath still staggered from the attack, she quickly said, “Y-You’re...that guy?! From the TerraSave party?”

 

Pete’s eyes were wide as his hands blocked his head. Slowly looking up at her, he breathed a sigh of relief. “Y-Yeah, I’m Pete. You’re that girl from the party...Sherry? Claire’s date right?”

 

“Yeah, that’s me.”

 

“Uh,” Pete’s face flushed. “I don’t mean to be rude, but can you please get off of me? This floor is not exactly sanitary.”

 

Sherry could feel her face turning red. “Oh! Right, I’m so sorry!” Jumping off of him, she offered her hand to help him up. “I thought you were-!”

 

“I didn’t think I look  **that** disheveled to be some kind of zombie-.”

 

Sherry felt relieved. At least if someone, “I’m sorry- wait, what are you doing here? Have you seen anyone else? Claire? Maybe another guy, tall? Has really nice hair?”

 

Running his hands through his own curly hair, he smiled. “I mean, I have nice hair.” Seeing Sherry’s face remained serious, and un-amused at his own joke, he sighed. “I mean, I was with Claire up until-- well, I don’t know the last time I was awake. We were in the S.T.A.R.S office when we were locked in, and this weird fog came in, and now I’m here. How did you even get here? We haven’t seen anyone, well...Alive, really, than ourselves.” 

 

Her heart react began to pick up. Her palms became sweaty. The words kept coming from Pete, her mind focusing on the one thing he said. “The S.T.A.R.S office? Wait, what are you talking about? There is no S.T.A.R.S office anymore, that was in…”  _ No. There’s no way. Why would?  _ Snapping back into the moment, Sherry quickly added in, “Leon, and I were looking for survivors, but that didn’t go well considering where I am now.”  _ Claire’s okay, that’s what matters. Not now, not where I THINK, I am-- Just keep breathing. _

 

Pete immediately noticed her demeanor change. He’d only heard about Sherry through quiet rumors, though he didn’t know much anyway. She was the daughter of the psycho that created the G-Virus, she only got out cause of Claire and the cop. She was basically hidden for years, somewhere, until a couple of years ago. Many people think she’s some kind of abomination that should have been killed that night, Pete felt for her though. His distant cousin died that night, along with thousands of others- but the girl standing in front of him looked like she’s been through hell. and that she’s still fighting through it. He can’t even imagine what kind of life she has to live, and what people think of her.

 

Pete carefully reached out to her, placing his hand on her shoulder. He softly comforted her, “Hey, hey, it’s alright. None of this is real- well, it’s real, but it’s not the  **_real_ ** real thing. It’s fake. We’re probably in some weird warehouse or something.”

 

Sherry forced a small smile. Pete was trying, and she wouldn’t dare let her own anxiety get to her. “Well...It really does feel real. Who would go through all this trouble to make it look almost exactly like Raccoon? Do you have any ideas who’s doing this?”

 

“No,” Pete grumbled. “all we know is that there’s this psychobitch with a fucked up sense of humor that has been stalking all of us for months.”

 

_ She? Who else could have survived Raccoon to create an exact replica? This isn’t just some kidnapping. This is personal. Someone really wants to remind them of that night- but why? And what’s with the costumes? God, I hope Leon and Claire are okay…  _ Sherry kept her guard up as she began continuing forward. “Stalking? You mean, this woman’s been following you guys?

 

Pete bit his lip as he slowly answered. “...And you too. Claire and I found a bunch of folders with pictures and weird notes in it. She had us, you, and some other TerraSave members.” 

 

“Me? Why would…?” Sherry echoed, halting in her tracks as she turned back to him.  _ My outfit, an almost exact replica of my mother’s necklace, being down here in the sewers- Is what’s happening to Claire, what could be happening to Leon, is it all my fault? Did I drag them back into this hellish nightmare? Maybe Leon was right. Maybe I shouldn’t be doing this. Please, let them be okay…  _

 

Pete stiffed at the uncomfortable silence. Sherry’s face grew paler; he knew she wasn’t handling this well. Hoping to break the silence, he handed her the wooden stick. “We should keep going, right? Here, you just proved that you’d be way more useful with this than I would be. Take it.”

 

“Thanks,” Sherry hesitantly took the weapon. It looked sturdy enough to take one hit, hopefully that would be enough. “I came down from that end there, it was a dead end. Maybe if we go ahead, we could find another-.”

 

A low crackle came from the bracelet that caught Sherry off guard. Noticing her reaction, Pete gestured to his own. “Oh, sorry, I forgot to explain these stupid things. They’re some kind of like, little walkie-talkies so when the head bitch wants to talk to us she can. I mean, she probably hears every word I’m saying but,” Pete put the bracelet closer to his face, shouting in it, “I. DON’T. CARE. Oh, and the color? No idea, so ignoring it kind of helps. But, I came down the tunnel from behind us, so straight ahead sounds like a plan. Do you have any idea where we should be going?”

 

_ Why would she want to talk to us? I should be careful what I say, then. Mine was orange before, now it’s green. So’s Pete’s. What do they mean?  _ “Well, if this is where I think it is, then there should be an exit nearby. But, I’d keep your guard up. I hope you’re not afraid of bugs or spiders...Like, big ones. You seem quick, so don’t worry.”

 

“Uh, If I remember correctly- you tackled me quicker than I could even react to it so,” Pete shrugged, as he stood beside Sherry. “Lead on.” 

 

Unknowing to the pair, a shadow peered over the corner as he watched the two move forward. A wide, cruel, grin stretched across The Serpent Man’s face- his eyes locked on the pair.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Sherry and Pete continued side by side for what seemed like an hour. The two engaged forward quietly, both thankful for not running into anything- or anyone- yet. Sherry, while physically present, her mind was clouded. Desperately trying to wrap her head around what’s going on, she kept her eyes locked ahead.

 

Pete hated the silence. At least, Claire would talk to him- helped made him feel slightly better about what’s happening. Sherry was more tense, clearly struggling. He needed to break this silence, more for himself than her. “So...Where did you and that guy, Leon? Uh, where were you guys when you looked for us?”

 

“Germany,” Sherry answered softly, watching her steps away from the water. “we got caught there.”

 

Pete walked steadily behind her, his brow raising at her outfit. He didn’t really pay attention to it earlier, but with the silence and his mind having to be entertained by something else… His head tilted, as he began to blush. “So, you do normally wear something like...uh, that to Germany?”

 

Groaning, Sherry felt her cheeks grow redder. It wasn’t just that her outfit was embarrassing, but having someone like Pete- a pretty good looking guy himself- notice her made her uneasy. On the first evening Sherry was free, Claire and Jill took Sherry to her first bar. The atmosphere made her unbearably uncomfortable, but the attention she got was something she wasn’t used to.

 

Even years later she still flustered. Snapping back, she picked up her pace. “No! I don’t know why I’m wearing this, someone must have put it on me! Why are you wearing a lab coat?”

 

Pete shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine, are you...uh, cold? Do you want it?”

 

Sherry shook her head uncomfortably. Everyone in her life who wore a lab coat wanted to do one more experiment, one more blood sample. Her parents wore theirs so much it made her completely resent it. She’d rather be cold.  “No, thanks though. You never mentioned if you found any of the other people from TerraSave, maybe we can find someone else-.”

 

“They’re dead.” Pete said bluntly, the image of his coworker’s gruesome death flashing before him again. “Roger, Gina- probably everyone else. They didn’t deserve this. None of them.”

 

“I’m sorry, Pete.” Sherry stopped, turning to him. Her eyes softened, as Pete faced her. “I know it’s not easy, but we’re going to find the others and get out of here.”

 

“Wait, look!” Pete rushed over to a metal door, slowly opening it. “Look! There’s stuff in here!” 

 

Sherry hesitantly followed him inside, where Pete was already rummaging through. Grabbing the flashlight, Pete flashed it on. “Sweet, I guess I’m on flashlight duty.”

 

Shining the light over a few of the supplies, Sherry picked up a couple of herbs and ammo- not like that’ll help at the moment, but she figured it’d come in handy. Once she grabbed what she could, Pete shined the light in front of them. “Let’s get going, this place is giving me the creeps.”

 

As they continued down the tunnel, a low groan echoed from ahead. Stopping in their tracks, Pete shined the light above and around the tunnel. “Did you hear that? What the hell…?”

 

The silence halted their movement. Sherry looked down at the sewer water, seeing ripples of movement ahead of them. Sherry instinctively grabbed Pete’s arm, slowly walking backward, “Just stay back, if it’s fast we got to get around it.” 

 

The groans grew louder. Pete and Sherry both got into a defensive stance as the two tried to see what was coming. As they slowly began to move, a warm ooze dripped onto Pete’s shoulder. Looking at it with disgust, Pete exclaimed, “EW WHAT THE FUCK?” 

 

Looming above the pair, a giant spider waited to strike. Pete screamed, “WHAT THE FUCK?”

 

“MOVE!” Pushing Pete out of the way, Sherry jumped back before the spider could jump down. Pete quickly recovered back onto his feet, stepping away from the creature. “Pete! Don’t let it near you! They could be poisonous!”  _ I have to get close enough for one hit…. _

 

Running to other side of the hallway, he jumped into the water and leaned up against the ledge on the opposite side. Turning on his flashlight, he shined it directly at the spider. “Hey! Billion eyes! Over here! Sherry, I’ll distract it! Just stab it!” 

 

Sherry was caught off guard at Pete’s sudden confidence. Remembering it was Pete after all who spoke up against the terrorists for Claire, she wasn’t surprised after all. Quickly running up behind the creature, she made her strike. Waiting for the creature to finally collapse, she smiled to Pete. “Nice thinking. Are you okay?”

 

“Yeah, don’t worry, I’m used to being a distraction. Man, you got him good. Do you think you can get that stick back or is it a goner?” 

 

Grimacing at the bloodied spider, Sherry examined the now broken wooden stick that was still impaled in it’s skull. “I would say so. Maybe there’s something else we can find.”

 

“Funny thing, time. How yeas and years can pass, but everything still feels the same, hm?”

 

The pair jumped at the smooth voice crackling from their braceletes. Sherry looked up at Pete, who was rolling his eyes at this point. Her curiosity got to best of her, saying under her breath, “What the hell?” 

 

“Why,” Pete mocked, “if it isn’t our lovely host gracing us with her words of wisdom.”

 

“I wonder, if time keeps our monsters the same. Or if it just makes them bigger…”

 

_ I don’t know who the hell she thinks she is, but she’s sure as hell isn’t going to get away with this.  _ Sherry could practically hear Claire’s voice in the back of her head, egging her to not give into this voice. But how could she not, this woman could have Leon and Claire? Letting her emotions get the best of her, Sherry snapped back, “Sounds like you’re the one who’s stuck in the past. If you did anything to hurt Claire or Leon, I’ll-!”

 

“Oh, dear little Sherry. I wouldn’t be so worried about them if I were you.”

 

A loud moan echoed throughout the tunnels, with an all too familiar cry. 

 

“SSSHHHERRRRYYYYYYY!”

 

_ Sherry choked on her sobs, her feet running as fast as she could go. “DADDY- HELP!” _

 

Time froze as Sherry felt her entire body tense up. It was like being sucked back into that night in 1998, she was helpless, alone- and all she wanted was to go home with her mom and her father. She could feel the sweat dripping off her face, she felt the bile rise from her stomach as the voice grew louder and louder. Her vision began to blurry. She could see Pete trying to talk to her, but the ringing in her ears only drowned him out. 

 

The last thing she remembered was Pete kneeling beside her, the monster’s cries only getting louder.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

_ It wasn’t the first time nine-year-old Sherry had wandered off on her own. How could she not? Everything was so cool-! Her mother was too busy talking anyway, it wasn’t like she’d notice- she never did. Her father, though, usually lets her see what he’s up to. Carefully treading down the narrow hallways, Sherry wondered about her father. ‘Daddy should have been done by now, I bet if I can find him!’.  _

 

_ Hearing her father’s voice, Sherry leaned against the wall. Leaning in slightly close, she heard voices. _

 

_ “...I mean, come on, Al. It wouldn’t kill you to go out for one drink with someone. I’ve been telling you this for years, you refuse to participate in any social events with me.”  _

 

_ “I do partake in social events, Birkin. I just don’t go out with you.” A monotoned voice filled the room. That had to be her Uncle Wesker. “I just started up my S.T.A.R.S. team, I need to have them respect me.” _

 

_ Sherry heard her father slightly chuckle as she moved closer in order to see into the room, “They most likely will fear you.” _

 

_ Wesker slightly smirked, “Good.” Her father rolled his eyes before turning his attention back to Wesker, “Look, I’m not sure I like how things are going down here. Are you sure this team of yours is a good idea? By their files they aren’t stupid and I’m not sure scaring them--” he paused before continuing, “Actually I take that back. You are very intimidating. You even scare me sometimes.” _

 

_ Wesker waved him off, “Their blind obedience to the chain of command will be their undoing. And you are well aware of why I moved to the intelligent department. I’ll handle things from my end so your precious G will not be disturbed.” Her father sighed and dragged a hand over his face, “Well, I’m sure you know what you’re doing. You’re used to doing whatever the hell you want anyway not really caring about what others think. It still weird not working in the lab together, its hard enough to find people to trust.” _

 

_ “You have Annette, don’t be ridiculous.” Wesker curtly stated, “Also, me taking this step helps us. The only person to stand in the way of running things is Spencer and having us on two different sides will only benefit us when the time comes to take what’s ours.” _

 

_ A dark look came over her father’s face as he smiled, “I couldn’t have said it better myself.” Sherry sneaked in a little further into the room, wanting to see more. As she quietly shuffled, Albert turned his head ever slightly before looking back at her father. “I don’t mean to alarm you, Birkin, but I believe there is a spy in our midst.” _

 

_ Sherry made a quiet gasp as she slunk further into the corner she was crouching in. Her father jerked his head up, his eyes widen. He ran back to his desk, tidying up the papers that were scattered all over his desk. “Shit, seriously? And you didn’t think about bringing this up 10 minutes ago was better timing?” Wesker coolly walked across the room, very close to where Sherry was hiding. “Things just come up I suppose. I’m actually surprised it has taken you this long to realize it. You’ve gotten soft, Birkin.” _

 

_ Her father glared at Wesker still trying to get his papers in order, “Then do what you do best and take care of it! I don’t have time to be worrying about this shit.” Wesker slightly shrugged his shoulders and turned away from him, “If you insist.” In one smooth motion, Wesker went into the corner and picked Sherry up into his arms, her gasping at the surprise. “Come on, little spy. You’re father said I am to dispose of you.” _

 

_ Sherry’s eyes widen, Uncle Wesker has to be joking! Right? _

 

_ Her father let out a sigh of relief before getting up and strolling over to them, “Sherry, sweetheart, what are you doing here? I thought I told you not to wander around down here. Where is your mother?”  _

_ Wesker put Sherry back down and she ran over to her father, grasping his lab coat. “She’s talking to that man.” She softly whispered, “I don’t like him I wanted to see if I could help you.”  _

 

_ Her father shook his head slowly, “You know, it’s not polite to eavesdrop.”  _

 

_ “Oh don’t be so crude, Birkin.” Wesker interrupted, “She is adapting to the world of lies and secrets around her, its no surprise that she is picking up these traits early in life. She probably gets her adaptability from Annette.” Wesker bent down to be eye level with Sherry, “You are always welcome to drop by my S.T.A.R.S unit anytime. Probably smarter than all of them anyway.”  _

 

_ Sherry lit up at the offer. Maybe she could finally be around other people that weren't in this lab. “R-Really?”  _

 

_ Her father let out a loud sigh, “No, Albert. Don’t be putting ideas into her head.” He focused his attention back on Sherry, “Sherry you need to stay with your mother okay?”  _

 

_ Sherry frowned. She would rather be with her father, but she knew better than to defy him. “Okay, daddy…” Her curiosity shifted to Wesker, her eyes lighting up at him. “Uncle Al? How did you find me? You’re really good at hide and seek, huh? I was so quiet, daddy didn’t even see me.” _

 

_ Wesker smirked down at Sherry, “Oh, dear. I’d always find you. Besides, your father is as graceful as a sloth.” _

 

_ William glared up at Wesker, placing his hand on his daughter’s shoulder. “Okay, okay, that’s enough. Sherry, go back to your mother, I’ll catch up, okay?” _

 

_ Sherry felt a sting of guilt. Feeling like she disappointed him, she wrapped her arms around his waist and dug her face in his lab coat. “I’m sorry, daddy. I don’t want you to be mad.” _

 

_ “Sherry, honey,” William crouched down to her height and returned the hug, softly comforting her, “I’m not mad. You have to understand, this place is so big and easy to get lost in. You have to remember where I work, the people here aren’t as nice as us and Uncle Al. They don’t like when people sneak around where they don’t belong, and it could get you in trouble. I don’t want that happening to you, I don’t want you to get hurt. Now, do you remember your way back to your mother?”  _

 

_ “I do.” Sherry nodded. Turning to Wesker, Sherry smiled up as she hugged him. “Bye, Uncle Al!” _

 

_ Wesker uncomfortably patting her head, “Goodbye, Sherry.” _

 

_ Sherry looked back once more at her father and Wesker before leaving.  _

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

“Sherry! Sherry!” Pete quickly caught Sherry in his arms before she fell to the ground. He began to panic; the one person who knew where to go passed, and once again he was alone, defenseless, and now had to look out for her. 

 

_ Damn it, Red. I could really use your help right about.  _

 

Looking around, he quickly scooped her up in his arms. Unsure of where to go or what to do, all he knew was to keep moving forward. “Don’t worry, I got you.” 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Claire winced as she regained consciousness. Reaching for head, she opened her eyes and was staring at a picture of a young Chris and his S.T.A.R.S team at some field. For some reason, she was placed at Chris’ desk. ‘ _ Ugh, like I needed another knockout. But at least I wasn’t on the floor this time.’ _

 

With a groan, Claire got up and stretched her arms in the air, “Well, I guess we don’t have to worry about sleeping later now.” When only silence greeted her, Claire spun around and looked around at the other desks finding them all empty. “Pete?” Claire frantically searched under the desks and the rest of the room but other than the metal pipe he once had, Pete was nowhere in sight. 

 

She silently swore as she ran her hand through her hair. ‘ _ Shit! I have to find him.’ _ Claire quickly searched her person and let out a relieved breath when found the gun still on her. Keeping her gun holstered, she grabbed the metal pipe and walked to the door. Finding it unlocked, she slowly crept opened the door and stepped out into the hall. 

 

The hall was still as dark as it was whenever her and Pete first went into the STARS office, not really helping Claire’s sense of time. But maybe that was the point. Her entire experience in Raccoon City that day only took place at night. She could have been knocked out for hours for all she knew. Claire slightly hesitated before she turned right and slowly walked down the hallway. ‘ _ God, I hope Pete’s alright. We had to have been split up, there is no way he would just go off on his own especially without something to defend himself.’ _

 

A low moan snapped Claire out of her thoughts when two of those creatures sauntered out of the darkness. Not wasting any time, Claire gripped the pipe harder before swinging the pipe at the creature's’ legs. When they hit the ground she immediately impaled one through the head with the pipe. As she pulled the pipe out of it’s head, the other one swiped at her from the ground and grabbed onto her left foot. With a quick yelp, she shook her foot until the creature lost it's gripped then brought the pipe swiftly down onto its head.

 

Taking a deep breath, she removed the pipe and shook it off a bit. ‘ _ Damn, I need to step it up. I know I haven’t done this in a while but I didn’t expect to be this rusty.’ _ Claire started to head down the hallway again when suddenly she heard another moan. She quickly got into her stance, waiting for another creature to appear. To her surprise, no creature appeared. Confused she slowly started walking again until she heard the sound again but it was louder and clearer this time. It wasn't a moan. It was a cry. A little girl’s cry. 

 

_ What the hell?  _ _ It sounds a lot like...Sherry? _

 

Claire broke into a run and continued down the hallway. She slowed down, only slightly, when  a  smooth voice broke the silence.

 

“I wonder if you’ll reach her in time.”  _ Her? Does she have another innocent child?  _ With only more determination to find the source of the crying, Claire ran as fast as she could, knocking down and killing other creatures as she passed them.

 

“I wonder if she’s even the same anymore.” Claire huffed as she continued forward.  _ Don’t give into her. She wants a reaction. I’m not gonna stand here and waste time and strength yelling at this damn bracelet. _

 

“I wonder how much one could take before they finally break...or give in.” Claire yelled out as she took down another creature without breaking her stride. Frustrated, she threw her hands in the air and stared down the nearest camera she could see mounted on the wall, “What do you want?!”

 

When the voice didn’t responded she just flipped the camera off and continued to make her way towards the sound of the cry.  _ The library. Its coming from the library _ . She opened up the door that lead to some kind of waiting room. It was the room that she had met up with Leon again and he gave her the walkie talkie.  _ Gosh, even the vending machine had old versions of candy inside _ . Taking a breath she switched out the metal pipe with her gun and made her way towards the side door entrance to the library. She had just reached the door when the pipe smacked into the end table next to the door, rattling something inside it. Curiously, Claire went to the small table and opened up the draw, finding a desert eagle inside. 

 

Claire picked up the gun, examining it carefully. When her eyes reached the handle of the gun, she gasped at seeing “RPD” inscripted on it.  _ Oh my gosh, this looks just like Leon’s gun! But this has to be a fake.  _ The young cry broke Claire concentration on the gun. She placed Leon’s gun in her empty holster as she opened the door to the library.

 

The library was just as grand as she remembered. Books on every shelf but in a sort of hap-hazard disarray. Claire’s eyes were immediately brought to the middle of the room where a small figure wearing the same outfit Sherry was all those years ago was tied to a chair, her back facing Claire. Cautiously, Claire walked towards the figure and circling around to see the person’s face. But as she got to the front of the chair, she realized it wasn't even a person at all.

 

“A dummy?” Slightly relieved, Claire made her way closer to the dummy, “What kind of sick person thinks of this.” Before she got too close to the dummy, a small trap door opened under the chair causing it to fall into darkness. Startled, Claire took a step back but after taking a calming breath she walked towards the hole and looked down. The hole was so dark, she could barely see into it. Claire began to back away from the hole when a slight bang came from it. 

 

As Claire went back to investigate something huge jumped out from hole, it closing up immediately after. Claire stumbled back and took a better look at what emerged from the hole. Towering over her was a man, if it even was a man, with a silver face and a long green trench coat.  _ Holy fuck, its Trenchy.  _  It only gave her a moment before lunging towards her.

 

“Oh shit!”  She scrambled to get out of the way of the chrome fist heading at her. Once hearing its fist land on the bookcase that has been behind her, she whirled around quickly raising her gun and firing a few shots at the back of its head. With a loud scream, he grabbed the broken fragment on the bookcase and flung it at Claire. She rolled to the left, avoiding most of the debris flying her way but not being able to escape all of it receiving a few scratches from the wood. 

 

She started to run again, switching out her handgun for the mangum when she heard the chrome tyrant approaching her. She didn't even have time to turn around when he grabbed the back of her vest and threw her across the room. She felt the gun slip out of her hands as she landed on another bookcase and falling to the ground with a thud. Letting out a cry of pain, she got up as quickly as she could and made her way towards the dropped gun a couple of yards away. The tyrant got to it first and grabbed it and threw it up to the second floor of the library. 

 

_ ‘Fuck!’ _ Claire grabbed her handgun again, quickly counting her remaining ammo.  _ Six. I have six bullets left.  _ She scanned the room, somehow she could get to the second floor and retrieve the other gun. The stairs were blocked off, but if she distracted the tyrant she could climb on one of the bookcases and grab onto the railing along the second floor. Another yell from the tyrant set her plan into motion. She ran to the opposite side of the room and shot three more bullets into him. Each of them hitting their mark, blood pouring from the tyrant's head. He starting charging at Claire, swinging his arms as he got closer. Claire stood her ground waiting until the very last moment to dodge out of the way. The tyrant couldn't stop fast enough and slammed right into the wall of bookcases behind her.

 

Knowing this would be her only shot, she sprinted to the sturdy looking bookcase and started climbing up it. She was halfway up when she heard a loud scream behind her. She chanced a look over her shoulder to see the tyrant shaking off the wood from the broken bookcases off it. 

 

_ Fuck, I’m running out of time. _ Claire doubled her efforts to climb up the bookcase. She had just grabbed onto the railing when wood came raining down onto to her. Ignoring the pain, she climbed further onto to the railing of the second floor when she felt the bookcase under her disappear. Suddenly dangling, she lifted her legs up to the railing and threw herself over it. Landing on the ground, she quickly turned back to the lower level to see the tyrant getting ready to throw another bookcase at her. She raised her gun, preparing to take another shot when she heard another voice.

 

“GET DOWN!” 

 

Not questioning the voice, she threw herself to the ground only to hear three powerful shots ringing out. She looked back down to see the tyrant swaying, dropping the broken piece of bookcase and then finally falling face first into the ground with a loud thud. Taking a deep breath out, she got back up from the ground. 

 

“Looks like I got to this party just in time.” 

 

Smiling to herself, recognizing the voice, Claire turned around to see Leon in his Raccoon City Police uniform behind her and holding the gun that was thrown up here. It was instinctive, she threw herself into his arms. 

 

Claire hugged him with every ounce of energy she had left, breathing out, “You’re fashionably late as usual.” 

  
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-


	9. Chapter 9

 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

“You’re fashionably late as usual.” She breathed, wrapping her arms around his neck. She closed her eyes and found herself miles away. The space between this nightmare and this moment growing further and further with each passing moment. Somehow, it didn’t surprise Claire to find Leon here, standing in front of her welcoming her with a warm and tight embrace.  _ Of course he’d come,  _ she thought over and over. She didn’t even know how long she’s been gone for -- hours? Days? But here he was, standing right in front of her.

 

It wasn’t until she heard his voice that she was snapped back to reality. Slowly pulling away, Leon’s worrisome glance gazed her up and down. “Are you alright? Is your leg hurt?”

 

It ached, but it was moveable. That’s what mattered right now, and that’s all he needed to know. Claire quickly shook her head. “I’m fine.” Even though she was happy to see him, something must have happened for him to be here now. “Leon, what are you doing here? How did you even get here?”

 

“It’s a long story,” Leon retreated back, his eyes quickly scanning the room. “But, have you seen Sherry? I was hoping she was with you.”

 

Claire inhaled a sharp breath. Sherry. Here?  _ Oh my god. She  _ **_was_ ** _ taken. Has she been here all this time, and I haven’t even known? That voice, that cry, I knew it sounded like her but it couldn’t have been- was it?   _ “I thought I heard-- wait, how did you know she was missing? How long has it been since she’s-?” 

 

“You heard what?” Leon echoed, facing back to her. “I was with her before we got knocked out. I guess she must be playing her ‘role’ in this fucked up fantasy. But I do have to say,” Leon smirked as he gestured to his police gear, “I still look pretty good in this.”

 

Claire fought back a smile, a very small one at that. “Guess you’re just as scrawny as you were then. But, back to Sherry, Leon-- why was she with you? What were you two doing?”

 

“First of all,” Leon defended. “I am not scrawny, this is definitely tailored because the very first thing I did when I took my uniform off was to burn it, except for my jacket. Second of all, we were searching for you! We found a lead at this mercenary camp in Germany of all places. We were trying to get some more intel to track down the group that was responsible for the raid Things took an unexpected turn and we got ambushed then knocked out. The next thing I knew, I woke up at old my desk, with a party hat on it. My phone was gone, my gun was gone. I was in the middle of an upload to Hunnigan when we got ambushed, I really hope she got the intel.” Leon was about to continue when Claire shot a hand up.

 

“Wait a second, ‘we’? As in, Sherry went  **with** you to this mercenary camp? You  **took** her out there?” Claire exclaimed. Her gut knew Leon would never willingly put her in danger, but she couldn’t help but try to piece it together. When she first heard from Sherry that she wanted to begin her DSO training, both herself and Leon wasn’t so easily convinced. She knew Sherry wanted action, eventually. But, her training has not even been over a year.  _ How could she be out there?! _

 

Raising his voice, Leon stepped closer to Claire. “You think I was happy about it? It’s not like I had a choice in the matter, Simmons practically cornered me, what did you want me to do?”

 

“I don’t know -- punch him?” Claire suggested, shrugging her shoulders. “How could Simmons let her be exposed like that? They’ve been following us and  **her,** Leon! Now that she’s-!”

 

“Wait, following her?” Leon carefully asked, “Who's been following her?” 

 

“Whoever put us in this fucking place, probably!” Claire exclaimed. “You’ve probably noticed that bracelet around your wrist, some woman uses it to track us and talk to us. I found files, Leon. She’s been stalking members of TerraSave and you, me, Chris, Jill -- and Sherry! She knows who she is, she has photos and everything! She’s been planning this out for months, Leon, she knew exactly how to get to us...God, what if they hurt her-?”

 

“That’s not going to happen.” Leon said, as-matter-of-factly. “We are going to find her, and she’s going to be alright.”

 

Finally, taking a deep breath, she sighed. She knew worrying would only make matters worse. Sherry was here, somewhere and she would need to have a clear head in order to find her and  a way out of this hell. Although, Leon didn’t look as convincing.

 

Leon looked deep in thought, looking in every other direction. Retreating back to looking around the room, Claire knew he was probably just as worried as her.  _ Of course he wouldn’t say it, though _ . Claire carefully approached him, offering a small smile. “Seriously? You burnt the whole uniform?”

 

“Yes, I burned it.” Leon said amusingly, looking back at her again. “Pretty sure the stench of zombie guts would have made it unbearable to keep anyway. Here, I believe I borrowed this from you.” Handing Claire back her gun, she placed it back at her side.

 

“Thanks. I take it your outfit didn’t come locked and loaded, either?”

 

“Not with a gun,” Leon winked. Finding Claire’s unamused reaction, he cleared his throat and continued as he reached for a shotgun that was strapped on his back. “But, I found this in a storage locker in the office. Figured this could go to good use. I was gonna use it until I saw you throw the magnum up here. I couldn’t resist.”

 

“Speaking of resistance, let’s hope someone in red doesn’t pass by.” Claire couldn’t help herself by bringing up Ada. She didn’t like her right from the beginning. Maybe it was the way she completely toyed Leon around for years, but Claire still felt a sting of jealousy. She knew the two of them had...relations throughout the years, there was no denying that. Hell, it was one of the many reasons the two of them argued whenever they tried to pick up their own relationship. But Leon was right- if this was some fucked up recreation of that night, it’s a very strong chance Ada could be here. Whether she’d be an ally or not, it’s Leon’s digression whether or not to trust her. 

 

“You never know, I mean, she’s probably already here.” Leon read her mind, a small smirk stretching across his face. “I should go down to the cells, see if she’s hanging around.”

 

Claire knew he was joking, with that slyish smirk across his face. But that didn’t stop her from reacting back. Moving her eyes away from him, she took out her handgun and began her way down the balcony hallway. “You do that. I’m going to look for Sherry and-.” 

 

“Oh come on, don’t be like that.” Leon caught her arm before she went too far. His voice deepened, as he said, “You know Sherry is more important to me. Besides, I just found you...I’m not losing you again just yet.” 

 

“Alright,” Claire gave in. Snapping back into reality, she said, “We should try getting underground, she could still be there. Are you sure you didn’t see anyone else on your way here? Pete is still out here somewhere…”

 

“Pete? Your assistant?”

 

“Yeah, he’s the only one from TerraSave who made it- at least, from what we saw of the rest of them. We were together for a while, until we got separated. I haven’t found him yet. He...He can handle himself, for now, but he’s just a kid. I have to find him before he gets himself hurt, or worse.”

 

“I’m sure he’s okay, we’ll find both of them. We better head out.” 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Sherry was woken by a bright, florescent light shining down on her. Shutting her eyes tight, she slowly tried rising up from the cot. Luckily, thanks to the G-Virus, she didn’t feel sick or hurt. Still, her eyes struggled to adjust. “What happened?” Sherry carefully called out, “Where are we?”

 

“Hey! You’re awake!” The excited voice was, thankfully, Pete. Rushing back beside her, a big relieved smile stretched across his face. “I was starting to get worried. I didn’t really know what happened- you started freaking out and then you just passed out. I brought you to a room I found nearby. I barricaded the door, just in case I fell asleep. But, to be honest, I didn’t really know what else to do. Are you okay, now?” 

 

Sherry’s vision cleared- a sense of deja vu coming over her. It was all too familiar to the lab room that Claire and Leon brought her to years ago. Sitting up, Sherry glanced behind Pete to find one of the metal desks pushed up against the door. “It looks like you took care of it. I’m sorry, but I’m fine. We really should keep moving. How far did you get anyway?”

 

“I’m not too sure, I think not far from where we killed that freaky giant spider.” Pete bit his lip, carefully asking, “But, are you sure you’re okay? I mean, not to sound invasive, but what was all that? Is there anything I can-?”

 

The last thing Sherry wanted to do was go into how nearly thirteen years later she still wakes up at night from nightmares of that fateful night. Besides, the only people she’s ever really talked about these things to were Leon and Claire. Not even the counselors at the base knew how bad it got to her -- even if they did, Sherry refused to share that night with anyone else. Sherry hesitated. “I...I’m sorry. Look, you’ve probably heard a bunch of stuff about me already. You probably can piece together what happened....”

 

Pete gave her a soft smile, “You give me too much credit. You can talk to me.”

 

_ I can’t talk to him about this, he’d never understand... _

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

_ Abomination, a waste of the government’s budget-- I’ve heard it all. It used to bother me, a lot. Although I never really told Leon and Claire what they used to say, they probably knew. DSO, BSAA, Simmons- they all had opinions of me. “Options”, they used to say, of how they could “use” me. Experiments, field trials. I would have been locked up if it wasn’t for Simmons giving me a way out.  _

 

_ I remember it was near my 21st birthday, Claire was convincing Simmons for me to actually “go out” when Claire told me about Jill Valentine’s death, along with Albert Wesker’s.  _

 

“Sherry, I’ve told you dozens of times,” Simmons mused, shuffling through papers. “You know why you are not allowed to leave, birthday or no. I do not want this brought up again by your or Ms. Redfield, do you understand?”

 

_ Even though he’s my legal guardian, I never really felt any emotional attachment to him. He was nice to me, strict, but nice. I think he pitied me, mostly. Like everyone else, and me just a child, he wanted the “right” to have a say in what happens to me. _

 

“Sir,” Sherry’s voice cracked. “I-I understand, I just thought maybe with Wesker gone I could-.”

 

“It didn’t work for your sixteenth birthday or any other past ones, my dear.” Almost like he cracked a cruel joke, he sinisterly smiled. “You think the threat went away with Wesker? He has agents, colleagues who’ll be interested in obtaining you. Besides, we have no body. That is all speculation. Do not have Ms. Redfield or Mr. Kennedy press me again, Sherry. I will not tolerate it anymore.”

 

“Sir, with all due respect,” Sherry fought past her nerves, straightening her posture. “Do you honestly expect me to live like this for the rest of my life-?”

 

“You know, that’s the thing with children, never like them to begin with.” Simmons scoffed. “Never grateful for a single thing. I give you food, shelter,  **safety** \- and education that people slave over to pay for. I allow you contact with Ms. Redfield, Mr. Kennedy, and even their associates. Why, you’ve done so much for us- provided us with so many scientific advancements. Who knows, with your corporation, we could figure out how to finally put this monstrous virus to an end. And you want to go out there, and put yourself and the world at risk? And for what?  **Your** amusement? I’ve had enough of your fantasies. You will never be normal, Ms. Birkin. Redfield and Kennedy, they pity you. Why else would they visit, every now and then? They know it. It’s time you know too. Here, you’re worth something. Here, you can help bring an end to this horror. My dear, what do you have to offer out there that you wouldn’t give here?”

 

_ I justified his actions, years ago. He was just telling me the truth, I thought. I never did tell Leon and Claire what he said to me. Maybe I was afraid of them lashing out against Simmons that he’d pull them out of contact with me. But, really, I think sometimes it was because I believed him. _

 

_ I used to blame Simmons, for locking me away for the government's personal use. That made me blame Wesker, for being the one who kept me in this prison. On the bad days, I wondered how bad it really would have been if Wesker took me. Everything he did was difficult for me to process; after all, it didn’t match the man who was my father’s most trusted friend- my godfather. What happened to him that turned him so maliciously? Would he have treated me so badly? This wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for that night. I blamed my father for the longest time, cursing every happiness we ever shared that was lost because of his devotion to his work. I blamed the G-Virus for completely stripping me of my humanity, well most of it.  _

 

_ I was tired. Tired of letting others dictate my life, telling me who and what to be. If it wasn’t for Claire and Leon, I would have lost the rest of myself a long time ago. They gave me the courage, strength, and support to be better- who they believed me to be. _

 

_ It wasn’t until years later when Wesker’s death was officially confirmed by Chris that Simmons pulled me aside. It was then he offered me a way out- to leave the government's hands, under the condition for working for them. I was so excited, I took it without a second thought. I wanted out, and I would do anything to do it. I was transferred to DSO, training under their supervision ever since. Leon, to say the least, didn’t know what to feel about it. I think he was worried, maybe even upset for me accepting Simmons’ deal so fast. But, it was my choice after all. I thought DSO would change things for me, for the better. It did, but it didn’t stop the rumors about me, or their gossiping behind my back.  _

 

_ I knew the price I had to pay.  _

 

_ After all, I’m sure Pete’s heard all about me by now anyway.  _

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

“No, you’ve probably heard enough about me anyway.”

 

“Yeah, well...I heard a bunch of stuff about Claire being Chris with a wig before I met her and you know that’s not true.”

 

Sherry let out a laugh, easing her posture. “Well, that’s a nice way of saying you have but you don’t want to repeat it. Look, I’m sorry about what happened- it won’t happen again. It’s just...that voice, the one we heard? It sounded like someone-  _ something _ I saw that night.” 

 

“Well,” Pete offered, “if you want to talk about it, I can listen. If you don’t, then I could just forget it. I’m good at both, you can ask Claire when we find her.”

 

“Thank you, really, it means a lot.” For the first time in a while, Sherry felt comfortable with Pete. Talking with someone her age, she felt normal. Maybe he wasn’t like the others, maybe someday she could talk about it with him. But not now, not here. “We should get moving, did you find anything useful in here?”

 

“Uh, I think so. Hold on,” Pete rushed over to the desk that still stood against the door. Opening one of the larger drawers, he pulled out a pile of papers. “I mean, I did find another pole but these were way more interesting.”

 

“What are they? Files?” Sherry asked, taking the pile from Pete. “They look like logs or something.”

 

“Yeah, they’re about some mercenary group. Look at this!” Reaching for one of the papers in her hand, he pulled out a picture. In the picture, were a few men dressed in uniform along with the serpent man- the same one who raided the TerraSave party. Next to the Serpent man was an older man, wearing what looked like a logo or symbol that Sherry couldn’t recognize. “The guy in the mask! That’s the one who took us!”

 

Although, what caught Sherry’s eye was the man standing behind him. A slimmer, younger man who looked all too familiar.  _ It’s that guy from the woods- the one who saw me, and let me go!  _ “Yeah, I saw some of these guys. Leon and i were infiltrating their camp when we got caught. Hm...At least we were on the right track. We better hold onto this. Did you find anything else?” 

 

“Well, I was hoping for a map but that’s all I found. At least it was something useful, right?” 

 

Together, Pete and Sherry moved the desk back against the wall. Sherry picked up the pipe, handing it back to Pete. She still had hers pretty in tact, plus she figured Pete needed to defend himself. ”Alright, let’s keep trying to head back up to the surface. You ready to go?”

 

“Yeah, let’s do it!”

 

“Keep your guard up, anything can pop out…” Carefully heading out into the hall, she watched Pete steady his grip on the weapon. She felt better knowing she at least had someone watching her back.  _ Leon, Claire, I hope you guys are okay. Don’t worry, it’s my turn to find you! _

 

“Yeah, I’m looking out for the creepy stuff.” Pete whispered while Sherry quickly peaked around a corner.  Looking both left and right, Sherry nodded towards Pete before turning right with him right on her heels. With a quick look to the left and one last look behind him, Pete followed Sherry further down the corridor which is when the Serpent Man quietly stepped out from the dark hallway behind them. 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The Serpent Man carefully watched them until they were out of his sight. Swiftly, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small radio, moving it towards his mouth. “I’m position with Subjects 2 and 4. Ready to proceed.” 

 

“Excellent.” The smooth voice said, “I’ll be opening the doors now.” A loud click echoed throughout the hallway, followed by the sound of doors slamming open. The Serpent Man walked over to the corner and watched two young people look quickly around their surroundings.

 

“Uhh, Sherry? Please tell me that sound came from our bracelets.” The small blonde girl didn't get a chance to respond before the sound of grunting grew louder in the hall before seeing a wave of creatures running towards them. They slowly started to back away then the blonde grabbed onto the man’s arm. “Run!” She screamed as she started running down the hall, pulling him along until he got his bearings and ran alongside her. The Serpent Man let all the creatures run pass him before he turned the corner and followed them down until they reached a larger circular room, with the two young people standing side by side at the end of it as the creatures slowly started to surround them.

 

“It’s a dead end!” He heard the man shout after he swung his pipe at an approaching creature., “Which is actually quite fitting since that’s exactly what we’re gonna be!” 

 

“Not yet!” The girl said between grunts as she knocked down a creature with her pipe, killing it in another swing. “Just follow me!” She slowly started making her way through the crowd with the man close behind her. With their backs towards him, he grabbed a dart gun out of his holster. He quickly opened up the compartment to see it was already loaded with a double-helix like syringe filled with a blue serum on one side and red on the other. This serum was the product of years of research, experiments, and trials with his boss. 

 

All of this time had led to this moment. To finish what William Birkin and Albert Wesker had started, what would have been if Umbrella didn’t intervene and force Birkin’s hand to inject himself as he bled out in his own lab. But why would he be doing this? He took a deep breath as another headache was coming on. These headaches were coming on more and more frequently since this final experiment started. What was going on? 

 

He shook his head as he closed the syringe back into the gun and raised it towards the young Birkin girl. This was a change in the plans after the cop and her were captured in Germany. Originally, the Redfield girl was supposed to be injected but the boss thought the Birkin girl would be more fitting. At the thought of Redfield, another shot of pain erupted in his head. Gripping his head, he took calming breaths until the pain passed. Was she the reasons his headaches were so bad again? Why did she seem so familiar?

 

He grunted in frustration as he tried to aim towards the girl but the man kept walking into his shot. His boss would kill him if he didn’t get this right, but he was running out of time as he saw they were almost at a slightly opened door. He steadied himself and took a deep breath and pulled the trigger. Moments later, both the Birkin girl and man slammed the door shut behind them. 

 

Sighing, he holstered his dart gun and took out his stun rod. Readying it, he walked into the large room and stuck all the remaining creatures until they were all dead on the ground. He place the stun rod back and took off his mask, brown hair temporarily blocking his eyes before he move it aside. Turning back to the all the dead creatures he smiled to himself, “That’s it? I was just getting warmed up. That wasn’t much of a challenge.” 

 

He moved himself over to the door they ran through, searching the creatures surrounding the door and the floor around them. The syringe was nowhere to be found. He wasn’t sure who he shot, but he was sure he got one of them. 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Leon and Claire walked side by side down the all too familiar hallway. They had their objectives -- Find Sherry and Pete then get the hell out of this place. Leon was treading beside her, eyes glued to the passing windows. It was like he was trying to figure out what was real and what was the deception. The rain pelted hard against the immovable glass. They tried to break one of the windows before only to break the chair they tried to slam through it. They kept on trying to break it just shy of shooting it, but deciding against it to save bullets and for the small chance it was bulletproof glass and it would bounce right back to them. Claire pulled her attention away from the window and back on Leon. Even though he’s been in the fight as long as she has, he’s seen so much more. A part of Claire felt guilty for dragging him through another hell but the selfish part of her was so glad that he was here to help her through it. After all, he was her partner. 

 

_ He still is.  _

 

“Hey,” Claire’s voice cracked, breaking the silence. “Look, I’m sorry I snapped back there in the library. I’m just worried about Sherry and Pete and I just want to get to the bottom of this and get out.  Besides, she...She shouldn’t be here again.”

 

“I completely understand,” Leon softly spoke, his eyes baring into her. “I never wanted Sherry caught up in something like this. It’s why I was doing everything in my power to stop her from becoming an agent. I know it was wrong, but I just didn’t want her out there. And I’m sure Pete didn’t want to be out here either.” 

 

“Well, she’s definitely stubborn. She’s been hanging around you too much.” Claire returned a small smile. “To be honest, I was on the same page as you. But, I’m not surprised. She’s been wanting to be an agent for a while now. We can’t stop her. Like us, she has to find and do what feels right to her.”

 

“Oh I’m the stubborn one?” Leon echoed, playfully in a defending tone. “I am many things, but stubborn isn’t one of them”

 

“You were always stubborn.” Claire stated with a laugh. They slowly rounded a corner to see a door “There’s the entrance!” Racing towards the door, Claire began pulling and pushing the door. “Of course it’s locked. Why wouldn’t it be?”

 

“I don’t even see a lock,” Leon kneeled down to continue examining the door. “How is that even possible? Is this electronically locked?”, Claire simply shrugged as she felt the door and the wall for a control panel. Running a hand through his hair, Leon looked up to see above the door was a small window. Smiling back at Claire, Leon gestured to the window. “But I see a way though.”

 

“Oh?” Claire questioned as she followed Leon’s gaze up towards the small window and smirked. “Well, I mean, you look good and all but I don’t exactly think you’re as light as a feather.”

 

“Oh, so funny.” Leon rolled his eyes as he crouched down. “Come on, I’ll give you a boost up. Just hang in the window to see if there is a way unlock the door from the other side. If not, I’ll help you back down and we can figure another way out.” 

 

“Guess we don’t have many options.” Claire steadied herself on Leon as he began to holster her up. 

 

“Let me know if you have a grip on the window ”

 

“Yeah, yeah, just don’t stare at my ass!” Claire teased as she reached for the window. As she steadied herself in middle of the window, she tried to get a good angle to look at the door from the opposite side. All of a sudden she heard a loud slam nearby. Shooting her head up, she stilled herself until she started hearing the moaning of creatures echoing. “Leon??” 

 

Leon, already having his shotgun aimed, heard the moaning of the creatures getting louder. From the sound of it, they were coming from his side. Leon quickly turned around towards Claire’s dangling legs, “Think fast!” He shouted as he gripped her feet and pushed her completely through the window.

 

With barely enough time to brace herself, Claire fell off and landed on her side. Quickly jumping back on her feet, she immediately ran to the door and tried to get it open. “Damn it, Leon!” She slammed her fist on the door, “What are you doing?”

 

Taking a stance, Leon readied his shotgun as creatures started to turn the corner. “I’m defending the door.” Leon aimed his gun and let out a shot, which caused the creatures to falter and fall to the floor, “Can you get it open?” 

 

Claire glanced around her as quickly as she could. There were no wall panels to be seen, the only way she could open the door was to force it open. She threw her entire weight into the door, trying to budge it at all. As she started to pull it, she felt it move but it snapped back into the frame. “It’s stuck somehow! Just hold on I’ll figure it out!”

 

“No!” Shots echoed as Leon exclaimed, “If you can’t get it open, go! The sound of my shots will only lure more of them. You’re gonna get cornered too. I’ll meet you down there, I promise!”

 

She knew he was right, but she couldn’t accept that right now. “What about you not wanting to lose me this soon? We can figure this out!”

 

Leon laughed, “I’m doing this so I don’t lose you. I can’t stay here any longer I need to move. We will meet up downstairs and you are gonna have Sherry and Pete with you cause you’re a badass like that and you want to make me look bad.”

 

She felt herself laugh as she reluctantly reached for her gun. “Leon! Be careful, okay?”

 

“You too, Claire!” Another shotgun shot rang out, “Now go!”

 

With one last look at the door, Claire turned around and ran off down the staircase, hoping Sherry and Pete were close and safe.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

“That was close, huh?” Catching her breath, Sherry halted as she leaned against a concrete wall. Looking down the tunnel they ran from, she felt relieved to see nothing following them. “At least we have a head start, right?”

 

“Y-Yeah.” Pete crouched down on the concrete, his face buried in his hands.

 

Sherry worryingly reached out to him as she watched him panting heavily. “Pete? Are you okay?”

 

“I-I don’t know,” Pete stuttered, as he struggled to get back on his feet. He was growing pale as sweat streamed down his face. Reaching for his back, he said, “I-I feel weird. D-Did I get bit, or something?” 

 

Sherry’s eyes widened as she saw the inflection on his back. A small, yet visible dart was stuck right on his neck. She hesitantly yanked it off, as she carefully looked at it. “Oh no...Pete, don’t panic, but this was on your neck.” 

 

Shooting back, Pete ripped the syringe out her hand. Frantically shaking his head, he shot back up. “W-What was in it?” Sherry lightly shook her head. She opened her mouth but couldn't find any words to say. She knew what it looked like, but it couldn’t be that right? Panicked, Pete gripped Sherry’s shoulders tightly, his eyes wide,  “WHAT WAS IN IT?” Falling onto his knees, he cried out in pain.  “W-What’s happening to me?”

 

“Pete!” Kneeling down in front of him, Sherry frantically tried to steady him.  _ No, no, no. How did this happen? I have to get him help- wait, the lab!  _ “Pete, you’re going to be okay. Okay? It’s not too far, I know what to do.”

 

_ I just hope I can make it in time.  _

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Hunnigan rubbed her eyes as she opened the door to her office. She couldn’t fall asleep last night, there was too much running through her head. Simmon’s constant presence, the TerraSave attack, the radio silence from Leon and Sherry, and the persistent communication with the BSAA. She knew she shouldn’t worry about Leon and Sherry, but this whole situation seemed bigger than what they originally thought. She was working together with Jill yesterday at the BSAA headquarters, trying to gather whatever information they could about the different sightings of the mercenary group. Hopefully, she could find something to link everything together.

 

Yawning, she sat into her chair and touched her keyboard bringing the computer to life. After she logged in, something immediately caught her eye:

 

New Download from :  **_Leon S. Kennedy_ **

    Do you accept?

 

Hunnigan instantly felt herself wake up and pressed the accept button. Moments later, various  documents, photos, and videos filled her screen as the download continued.

 

“About time, Leon. About time.”

  
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After months, we are happy to share an update! We apologize for the delay, and look forward to coming closer to the end! We'd love to hear your thoughts! :D Thank you for reading!

/./././././././././././././././././././././././

Given the situation, Claire didn’t know how she could keep her mind focused. Every step she took festered her anxiety, except this time it wasn’t what was lurking around the nearest corner. She thought of Sherry, who should have never been in this situation in the first place. Then she thought of Pete, her headstrong assistant who only wanted to make his place in the company. Leon has been through hell and back, but that didn’t ease her mind when she thought of leaving him behind. 

 

Of course Leon would show up in the heat of the moment, as calm and cool as ever. Even when she met the young, naive, officer all those years ago -- he did his best to keep a level head. Never to show and glimpse of fear when the odds were always against him. But, this was different. This wasn’t the same, wasn’t “wrong place, wrong time” -- this was intentional, planned. Claire found herself completely vulnerable, and through back in a time where she barely knew how to go up against the nightmare. Before everything in her life spiraled out of control, the very night that had changed her life. 

 

But it wasn’t just her life on the line, it never was. There was always a bigger picture, a dire means that surpassed her own life. Almost made her blind to those around her, or rather those who she tries to keep  _ away _ from her. Steve’s memory flashed before her, again, reminded that he too was a small piece in the bigger problem. But, it wasn’t like that -- it never was. He was like many who perished for the cause and who wanted no part of it . 

 

She was here now, and so were the few in her life that she refuses to lose. Claire picked up her pace, feeling the rush of wanting to be rid of this nightmare. To wake up from the horrific memory that the walls around her constantly remind her of. She thought of Sherry, Pete, and Leon -- and continued forward.

 

Claire found herself exploring every corner and space she passed, hoping to find anything that could lead her to Sherry’s location. Suddenly, a low mumble of voices shook her attention. Quick to check if her gun was loaded, she swiftly turned the next corner and began carefully treading down the narrow hall. Meeting only a closed door, Claire mentally noted the possibility and likelihood of a trap awaiting her. Still wanting to keep her location quiet, she slowly turned the knob -- armed for anything that could come her way. Expecting to be swarmed, she was met by an eerie silence as the door swung open.

 

A pair of wide eyes met hers. One was completely disheveled as he was slumped against a wall, barely able to keep his head up. The other was quick to match Claire’s as she stepped in front of the man armed with a pipe. Claire carefully lowered her weapon, breathlessly, “Sherry?”

 

The thud of the metal pipe echoed the room as Sherry ran into her arms. “Claire! You’re okay! I was so worried-! ”

 

“I know,” Claire allowed herself a moment to feel relief. Knowing Sherry was with her, and she was in one piece was enough. Reality shook her back as she quickly continued, “We’re running short on time, and we need to get out. I saw Leon, he was fine but we got separated a little while ago.” Tilting to look around Sherry, Claire was quick to recognize the slumped man in the corner as she rushed to him. “Pete! Jesus, what happened to you?” 

 

“Red?” Pete coughed, as his skin continued to grow paler by the minute. His forehead was drenched in sweat, fighting to keep his eyes opened as he slowly continued to slump closer to the ground. “Sorry, but I lost those checks. So much for early retirement.” 

 

“Pete!” Claire knelt down beside him, carefully trying to sit him back up. She waited until he looked back up at her to force a smile, “Don’t worry. I’ll just take it out of your paycheck.”

Claire looked back up to Sherry, “What happened? Did he get infected from an injury?”

 

“I...I really don’t know.” Sherry admitted, kneeling down beside her. “We were fine, for a while. Then he began complaining about a bite? Or sting of some sort. We were alone and together the whole time, nothing happened so I didn’t think much of it. Then I found this…” Sherry reached in her pocket to retrieve a dart. “It was on the back of his neck. He was getting weaker since. I...I don’t know if it’s poison or-.”

 

_ He’s infected.  _ The dreadful thought that flooded Claire, and the realization on Sherry’s face.  _ We barely saved Sherry in time, I can’t let this happen again.  _ Claire fiercely cried out, pulling the bracelet closer to her. “What did you do to him?” 

 

Claire waited for what felt like an eternity before a low cackle echoed through the bracelet before a low voice echoed through. “I helped him enter into the future. A world without fear, without error. A better world for the worthy.”

 

Claire scoffed, she was in no mood for poetic games. The Redfield in her was fierce as she spat back, “If you’re playing this little scenario thing right, then you have to tell me where I can help him.” 

 

“Darling, I’m just an observer. You are the one who’s done this before.” 

 

“Done this before?” Pete weakly echoed, picking his head up as he frantically continued, “What does that mean? I’m pretty sure this never happened to me before?” He let out a loud groan as he sunk back into the floor, moaning, “Is this what cramps feel like? Am I becoming a woman?”

 

“You’re going to be okay.” Claire promised with a warm smile, before looking back at the bracelet, “What  _ exactly _ did you give him?” 

 

“Claire!” Sherry quickly grabbed her wrist, catching her attention. “She said you’ve done this before! She’s talking about me. She must have given him the same thing she did to me…”

 

“Tick, tock, darling.” With a final low chuckle, the voice faded out. 

 

“Pete, listen you’re going to be fine. I know where, and how, to help you.” 

 

“It’s a virus isn’t it?” Pete panicked. “Am I gonna become one of them?”

 

“No, I won’t let that happen. I promise.” Claire shot a concerning look back to Sherry, who was still wide eyed watching Pete. “We have to find a lab. It should be nearby and Leon would be heading in that direction.”

 

“And leave Pete?”

 

“He’ll be fine here, for now. You were okay when we left you, but it’s best for you to stay with him.”

 

“Guys, I can handle myself.” Pete forced a smile, slowly perching himself up against a bedpost. “Just leave me with a gun and I’ll go against the wall. I mean...I’ve seen the  _ ‘The Walking Dead’ _ , maybe I’ll give off an aroma and they won’t come near me or something, right?...But, really, you can leave me. Go together, it’ll be safer.” 

 

Claire didn’t budge a small smile this time. She knew the risks of leaving him alone, and vulnerable. It’s the same ones she risked with Sherry all those years ago. But he wasn’t a child, he was old enough to make that decision. Just as he did when he spoke out to protect her from the mercenary group. Reluctantly, Claire gave in, “Alright. We’ll be back before you know it, ok? Just hang tight. I promise.”

 

“Don't’ let anyone in that isn’t us.” Sherry gently reminded. “Oh, except for Leon. You’ve seen him before, right?”

 

“Generally…” Pete smugly scoffed, forcing a teasing grin. “Looks like he stumbled out of the  _ ‘O.C’.  _ Guess I’ve been watching too much T.V. You two better go, I’ll just wait here…”

 

Claire knelt back down on the ground and welcomed Pete in a warm embrace, feeling the guilt sink in. She was on the team that hired him, and choose him to be her assistant. He had always looked up to her like a sister, and for the first time in a long time she felt the burden of that. The thought of knowing someone’s very fate is in her hands. She parted from him and held out the magnum for him to take. 

 

“This gun has a pretty big kick, should be able to push back anyone that comes for you. Just don't hold it too close to your face.” Pete chuckled as he took the gun, then looked back up at Claire and smiled, “Thanks Claire, for everything.” Claire gave him a small smile before she shifted her focus on gathering items to keep the door barricaded. 

 

Sherry hesitantly approached Pete, bringing him in a quick embrace. If the circumstances were different, Sherry pondered, she would allow herself to feel something with him. It wasn’t only because he was the first ‘normal’ person to ever talk to her, but the first to listen and not judge. Someone who was himself, someone Shery hoped to still have a chance to get to know. “Hang in there. We’ll be back before you know it.”

 

Pete blushed a bit as he smiled back at her. “Anything for a friend of Red’s.” 

 

Claire stood at the entryway of the door, waiting until Pete settled himself with the magnum. Sherry quickly grabbed the metal pipe from the floor and joined her there. With a quick nod, Claire took one final look before shutting the door behind her. Sherry stood by her side, worryingly gazing over at the door. “What if we don’t find anything?”

 

“We will. We have to” Claire said as-a-matter-of-factly, running off without looking back.

 

Peering around the corner, the Serpent Man observed the two women dash off in the other direction. He waited a moment before swiftly following from a safe distance.

 

“Do you have a visual?” The voice asked him. 

 

He stopped in his tracks, unable to shake the sense of familiarity as he watched the pair rush off. A pit in his stomach that made him second guess the purpose of his whole mission. Ignoring it as nerves, he shook off any doubt. “Yes, they just left the boy behind. I’ll retrieve him.”

 

“No.” Alex commanded, firmly. “Let him remain. I want you to follow them. Bring me the Birkin girl, I need to rearrange the variables back in our favor. Go. Be sure to retrieve the cure, as well. Do not disappoint me.”

 

He steadied his breath, well aware of the circumstances that wait for him if he failed. “Understood.”

/././././././././././././././././././././././././././././

Leon was leaning against the wall, slowly trying to regain his breath. Dried blood now covered his once pristine uniform, some of it getting on his face as he wiped the sweat off using his sleeve. He stuck his hand in his pants pocket, quickly assessing how many shotgun bullets he had left. _Six. Fuck._ It took him way more bullets and time then he originally anticipated to get away from those creatures. _At least they concentrated on me and not Claire. I made sure to create enough noise to pull them to me._ Leon shut his eyes, briefly thinking of the alternate option. Of Claire and Sherry getting captured or worse. _Thats impossible. Claire is a Redfield and coming from her and Chris, Redfields are basically indestructible. And Sherry is basically part Redfield and part Kennedy -- if she learned anything from Claire and I, it's to be able to handle the worse._

 

Taking one last breath, he pushed himself off the wall and readied his gun again. He slowly turned the corner making sure it was clear before walking down the hallway. Leon kept following the hallway until he reached a heavy metal door. Pushing it, the door slowly swung open to reveal a boiler room of sorts. There were two huge metal machines and pipes flowing out of them into the walls.  _ I’ve definitely been here before. _ Leon took a step deeper into the room, walking on the narrow catwalk between the machines when it finally clicked.  _ Oh right! This is the room where I fought Dr. Birkin. He was definitely an eyesore. _ Chuckling out loud to his own pun, he stuck his head over the railing and looked down. A stench made his way to him which made him throw his head back. 

 

“Ugh!” He shook his head, “That’s disgusting. It smells like garbage.” As soon as the words left his mouth, a realization came to him.  _ The sewers. _ He holstered his gun, as he approached the railing again. Holding his breath, he took another look down below. Other than the stench, he noticed that bags of garbage about 30 feet down. There was water covering some of the bags. He ripped one of the buttons of his uniform and threw it down. A few seconds later, an audible “blop” of the button hitting the water echoed the room. 

 

_ Well, I can just jump down into the water then! Then I can find Sherry and Claire and get the hell out of his shithole. _ Leon climbed onto the railing and sat himself down, legs dangling over the edge. 

 

_ Wait. _ Leon paused. _ What the fuck am I doing? This is gonna hurt like a hell if I land wrong. There has to be a less painful way to get there. _ Shaking his head, Leon laughed to himself. “Kennedy, you almost jumped off a bridge into sewer water. Not your smartest move.” 

 

Leon shifted to place his feet back on the solid ground of the catwalk when something red at the end of the catwalk caught his eye. Following the red, his gaze landed on a woman in a red dress with familiar dark eyes.

 

“Well,” Ada purred out, “you certainly have had dumber ideas.”

 

Leon’s eyes widened as he took in seeing Ada Wong standing in front of him. The shock of seeing her threw his balance off. He fumbled to regain his balance but still felt himself slip off the railing.

 

“SHIT!” Leon exclaimed as he fell down into the sewers .    
  


/././././././././././././././././././././././././././././

“Are you sure you can do this?”

 

“I’m sure. I’ve done this before. Except this time the place isn’t trying to self-destruct.” Claire didn’t waste time piecing together the serums needed for the cure. It wasn’t too difficult, finding all the documents associated with it. Familiar wording and directions guided the two. She remembered it all too well from Sherry, and wouldn’t allow Pete’s fate to be the same. After passing by a few enemies, Claire couldn’t help but watch as Sherry engaged in the fight. She had matured even at her young age, and striked without hesitation.

 

Sherry pensively paced around the lab, worried about any potential threat that could walk in. Claire and her had switched weapons so she could keep watch while she worked on the cure. She slowly wandered back by Claire’s side, hanging her head. “I should have been more cautious. I should have kept a better eye on him, guarded him. I let this happen, I should have-.”

 

“Don’t go there.” Claire cut in, quick to reassuringly hold her arm. It was words that echoed in her mind for the longest time. She wouldn’t let Sherry sink in them. “Sherry, you did the best you could. Sometimes, we can’t control what happens. It’s okay to be scared. I was. I still am. But, right now Pete needs us. And we’ll help him. We got to you, didn’t we?”

 

Sherry hesitated, her eyes never leaving the floor. “How can you be so sure? This could be a fake, or we messed up-! What if he...You guys barely knew what was going on, you were just trying to survive. If it came down to it, can you really say that you two wouldn’t have just left?”

 

_ I already did.  _ Claire gravely thought, as the image of Steve Burnside flooded her mind again. She had to, because she couldn’t save him. The monstrous creature that emerged, striking her. Chris struggling to pull her away from him, desperately trying to snap her back into reality. Watching him die right in front of her eyes. She’d be damned if history would repeat itself.

 

“Absolutely not! Sherry-.” Claire was interrupted by alarm of the syringe finishing. Carefully removing it from the tube, she looked back at Sherry. Sherry slowly looked back up at Claire. Claire knew this was weighing on her, but that would have to be talked about later. “We better hurry.” 

 

“I think not.”

 

The new, deep voice sent Claire whirling around Sherry. The masked figure from the fundraiser, her captor, was standing a few feet away from the pair. Defensively standing in front of Sherry, she put arm around behind her, carefully placing the syringe in Sherry’s hand. “It’s you…” 

 

“Surrender the antidote or face the consequences.” The Serpent Man took a step forward, carefully at a time. 

 

“Like hell.” Once Claire release her grip of the syringe, she shoved Sherry hard towards the door. Stepping in front of her, she shouted. “Sherry! Go!  **_Now_ ** ! ” 

 

“ Claire!” Sherry cried, standing by the doorway. Watching as the Serpent Man continued to approach Claire as she tightened her grip around the metal pipe. Understanding all too well of what Claire was doing, she quickly ran off down the hallway hoping she wouldn’t regret that choice. 

 

He groaned, watching Sherry run down the hall. Retrieving his stun rod, the electricity sparked from the tune up. “You are just making my job harder, Redfield. It’s like you’re begging to get your ass kicked.” 

 

Claire steadies herself as she readies her stance with the pipe, “Come and try.”

 

“You know, you’re just making my job harder.” Reaching around he whirled his stun rod, charging it. “It’s like you’re begging to get your ass kicked.” 

 

Claire sneered as she took aim and swung at the Serpent Man, only for him to dodge it and charge towards her. Claire only had a moment to jump a step back before he took a swing at her with the stun rod. She heard the electricity sizzling as it barely missed her.  _ I have to get that out of his hand. _

 

With all her might, she swung again at the Serpent Man. She grinned when her pipe connected with his side. He stumbled back but his grip on the rod remained. With a growl, he charged forward again jabbing his rod towards her. She used the pipe to deflect the rod, but he recovered from block quickly and swung at her again. All she saw was white as she felt the surge of electricity hit her. She let out a scream and jumped back, trying all she can to not just drop down in pain. 

 

_ No. I still need to give Sherry time. _ With new resolve, she charged towards the Serpent Man. Dodging his swing, she swung at him again and this time hitting him square in the face. He stumbled back, adjusting the mask on his face. Claire wasted no time swinging at him again. This time he dodged her and tackled her to the ground. The force of her hitting the ground caused her to lose her grip on the pipe. Before she can try to grab it, she felt his hands close around her neck. She struggled to breathe as he held her tighter. She threw her hand out, trying to find her pipe.  _ Come on, be there. Please. _ Her lungs were burning as she finally felt the metal pipe. She grabbed it with all her might as she swung it at his head. The force of the hit knocked him off of her and she saw his mask slide across the room. 

 

She gasped for breath, holding the pipe tight towards her as she slowly approached the unmoving man. She readied for another swing as she made her way towards him. She started her swing -- only to stop. Her eyes widening at the man laying in front of her. 

 

That face. 

 

She could never forget that face. 

 

Still in shock, she didn’t notice him grabbing his stun rod next to him and jabbing her again. She let out a shriek of pain as she fell to the ground, muscles still twitching from the shock. But once she was laying on the ground, she couldn’t feel the pain anymore. Nothing made sense.

 

_ He was supposed to have been dead. _ A tear slid down her cheek as she slipped into unconsciousness. 

/././././././././././././././././././././././././././././

Ingrid Hunnigan didn’t waste time, ignoring the headache she got from staring at the computer screen. For hours, at the very least, she furiously typed in all the data she could. Sorting through every inch of code that Leon sent to her earlier. Hoping to find a quick and easy solution, Hunnigan immediately shut that down -- after all, this was Leon she was thinking about. Instead, she found deliveries and mountains of data of enrollment in different mercenary groups and their recent checkpoints. Some included gruesome exchanges between members about their habits, from rampaging villages all the way to sweeping previous Umbrella hotspots. 

 

Her eyes widened as familiar locations flashed on her screen.  _ All destroyed locations, including the Spencer estate and Raccoon City? There should be nothing left. Why would…?  _

 

Continuing within the files, Hunnigan’s interests peaked at the file, ‘Raccoon City Police Department Blueprints’. Expecting to find multiple strands of data from years ago, Hunnigan knew better than to ignore every file possible. She gasped as her computer screen flickered, flooding with raw video data. Examining closer, Hunnigan found herself looking not at floor plans but at a young man. Under hibernation, cell growths, mutated cells-- a face connected to some scientific study that was above her head. Highlighted in the file description was an all too familiar name, almost like she heard of it in passing but nothing more. She quickly typed in Leon’s number, a small part of her hopefully he’ll pick up. When is went straight to voicemail, she immediately pulled up the next number she could rely on. 

 

“Hello?” A groggy voice met the receiving end. 

 

“Mr. Redfield? This is Ingrid Hunnigan, I’m so sorry to call at this time-.”

 

“No,” Chris’ attention snapped back into reality, quick to respond. “What is is, Hunnigan? Any updates?”

 

“I’m...not sure. That is why I’m calling you. Leon sent me some data that I can’t wrap my head around.”

 

“What would I know? Apparently I don't belong in the intell department.” Chris scoffed, still wounded from Leon’s earlier insult. 

 

“It’s a name, it keeps coming up everywhere. Do you know a Steve Burnside?” 

  
/././././././././././././././././././././././


End file.
